


What Happens In The Closet Stays In The Closet

by IHopeThisDoesntAffectMyFuture



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: "st8 sex" as in we're in canada, <--- thats a homestuck referance, -shane dawson 2k19, 100 characters long and do not contain any invalid characters, 7 minutes of heaven, AAAAAA, Anal, Angst, Ash plays Elle, Blood and Gore, Blow Jobs, Bob - Freeform, Cheating, Consent, Death, Explicit Consent, Freeform, Gore, Legally Blonde, M/M, Masturbating, Masturbation, Nightmares, Other, Please make sure that your tags are less than, Porn, Porn With Plot, Public Sex, Sal is a cheater, Sal works on av, Semi Public Sex, Smut, Suicide, Theater AU, This Is STUPID, Trav plays Emmett, Travis is an actor, a little fluff, and asks you if you wanna have some "happy little kink sessions", as in, bobs and vagana, but exhaust pipes are sexy too, canadian's favorite sex position is doggy style so they can both watch the hockey game together, dick - Freeform, dicking down in a closet because sal is a horny dumb fuckwad, did you know theres a porn called assvengers?, except he's into BDSM so he's holding a ball gag, i didnt fuck my car. i didnt cum on my car., i didnt fuck my cat. i didnt cum on my cat., i didnt put my dick anywhere near my car. Ive never done anything weird with my cars, i didnt put my dick anywhere near my cat. Ive never done anything weird with my cats., i fuck cats, i fuck my dog, im sorry, imagine bob ross in lingerie, jk i do fukc cars, lightning bobs, lightning boobs, lmAooOOOoOoo, maple syrup and hockey, may god be with you, night terror, not Dick, nvm theres no st8 sex, thanks jess, that other sex thiungy in females lmao, the kid that i based sal on helped me with these tags, they use maple syrup as lube, vivid nightmare, what am I doing with my life, what happens in the closet stays in the closet, wtf jess do you have a dog fettish, you cant fight the homestuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2019-12-07 16:45:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 29
Words: 47,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18237551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IHopeThisDoesntAffectMyFuture/pseuds/IHopeThisDoesntAffectMyFuture
Summary: Sal, who had been placed as stage crew manager, knew all the ins and outs of behind stage. Where the costumes were held, where the workshop was, and which closets were somewhat soundproof. That last bit of knowledge proved to be extremely useful when it came to having Travis pinned up against the utility closet door.What happens when emotions so strong are mistaken for love? Is it possible to live on the run? If a member of the cast is killed, will her murderer be caught? How could a casual hookup go so wrong?Update, I wrote a song based on this fic! Go check it out!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69JqTHtUaJ4&lc=z22etxp53nvngl3nwacdp435hinjitt4xw4wslcmnx5w03c010c





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! Thanks for all the support on all my other fics! Go check out "Deal" and "This". Thanks, brochachos. Broitos. Broskis.  
> This may or may not be inspired by personal experiences.  
> Okay, new announcement. Everything from chapter 5 on is completely original. Nothing inspired by real-life events is going into this fic when it comes to anything between Sal and Travis.

Senior year is supposed to be the time where kids get to sit back and relax while they wait for college. Nothing ever stops the constant churn of anxiety in Travis’ chest. Almost as if there is a mill inside of him.

The smallest stream can make the wheel go round and round, and like the seasons, there’s nothing that can be done to stop the churning of his mill. As if his emotions were a carousel, the painted ponies just go up and down. He’s on a carousel of time. There’s no way Travis can return. He can only look behind from where he came. The frivolous game that he plays, trying to juggle his sexuality, his advanced classes, getting into colleges, and conflicting feelings for a peer, it is all too much for him to bare.

Despite being stressed with keeping all of his grades above a 95 average, the only class that Travis was really struggling with was choir. Because of Sal Fisher, an obnoxious boy who never failed to get on his nerves, and his ragtag groupies that were composed of oddballs and queers.

Sal Fisher was Travis’ crush since freshman year. Ever since he transferred, with his bright blue hair and mysterious persona, Travis was automatically intrigued.

Mrs. Packerton, the math teacher that doubled as the choir teacher, who had gotten tired of the two boys passive aggressively starting verbal brawls between the baritones and the tenners, and most importantly was pissed off about the pair getting into fistfights one too many times under her surveillance, pulled the pair aside and told them that she was going to fail them. That was unless they joined their school’s production of Legally Blonde.

Sal and Travis, for once agreeing on a topic, begged Mrs. Packerton to change her mind. However, her mind was set.

 

After auditions, Travis was pleasantly surprised to find out that he had gotten the part of Emmett Forrest. The main, male protagonist who was quirky, a smart-ass, but most importantly was the kind of guy that Travis wished he could be. Emmett was honest with himself, and playing such a character could teach Travis about honesty.

The only downside to playing Emmett was that Sal’s girlfriend, Ash, played Elle Woods. Elle, being the lead roll in the entire production, was also Emmit’s girlfriend.

It was difficult to romance Ash, even on stage, when she was dating Sal; the person he despised, yet fantasized about. Which possibly made Travis despise him even more.

Sal, who had been placed as stage crew manager, knew all the ins and outs of behind stage. Where the costumes were held, where the workshop was, and which closets were somewhat soundproof. That last bit of knowledge proved to be extremely useful when it came to having Travis pinned up against the utility closet door.


	2. I Gotta Get Going

The first few months of play rehearsals have gone by. At this point all of the actors are off book, costumes have been sewn, sets have been ordered, and choreography has almost been perfected. It is three weeks before the opening night and Travis is currently locking lips with Ash while fifty other cast members dance around them.

Travis liked being on stage. It was positive attention, something he never got at home. However, he did not fancy the idea of locking lips with Sal Fisher's girlfriend. 

“And Scene!“  Mrs. Packerton sighed, clearly exhausted after the six-hour rehearsal.  “There's not enough,“ She pauses, bringing her hands together and intertwining her fingers; shaking her hands in the air dramatically. “Passion! Love! Emmett, Elle just proposed to you! Act like it!“ She got up out of her seat and walked over to the stage, leaning up against the wooden planks with her elbows. “You've fancied ladies before, channel the love that you felt in those moments!“ 

There was a lump in Travis ' throat. Of course, Mrs. Packerton meant well, but Travis had avoided the idea that love and him could go together in the same sentence. He was scared of love. Scared of falling in love. Scared of what his father would do if he found out that Travis was in love. 

Travis wasn 't ready to fall in love. And that was fine. However, he desperately wanted to be touched, to be held, to have someone pull him close and pull his hair. The thought of a physical relationship, devoid of any romantic strings attached, was something Travis craved.

The blonde was swiftly snapped out of his daydream by Ash placing a hand on his shoulder, sympathy in her eyes. 

''Are you alright Travis?'' 

Swiftly nodding, he moved her hand off of him. He had nothing against her, per-se, but he didn 't like the idea of getting too buddy-buddy with her.

''Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just do this scene again. The sooner we perfect it the sooner we all get to go home.'' Travis smiled at her, trying to lighten the mood.

 

After they got enough passion for Mrs. Packerton's liking, everybody was dismissed around 7:45. Travis was in his dressing room, changing into his skinny jeans and purple sweater, getting ready to go home.

A knock at his door made him jump. Travis sighed, attempting to slip his arms through the sleeves.

He was greeted with another knock, this time louder and more obnoxious. 

''I'm coming!'' Travis sighed, popping his head through the sweater collar and hastily making his way to the door.

He was greeted with an emotionless prosthetic, and a pair of crossed arms. Instinctively, Travis placed his hands on his hips, huffing in annoyance. 

''Travis, I need help with the lights. Could you come with me? It's kind of an emergency.''

''Go find someone else, I'm going home.''

Sal rolled his eyes, clearly getting impairment. ''You’re the last one here, and it's an emergency. One of the bulbs broke and it's a safety hazard. I get you don't like me, but can you just put your grudge aside for a second and help me out?''

After a huff of reluctance from Travis, the two boys made their way to the supply closet. After Travis stepped in, Sal entered right after, closing the door behind himself.

The dark room was illuminated by a single vintage light bulb that hung from the ceiling.

Travis' stomach dropped, to think he was alone with Sal Fisher. The boy who he hated, yet desired more than anyone made his mind race with questions and thoughts of what could come of the situation.

''Why'd you close the door?'' Travis leaned against one of the shelves, accidentally knocking over a few props. Sal chuckled as Travis desperately fumbled to pick everything up and put it in its rightful place, then trying to look natural while his face was bright red from just embarrassing himself.

''So,'' Sal started, eyes looking Travis up and down as if he was contemplating his words like they would impact the entire universe. Like his next few sentences had the power to destroy the earth or solve world peace. Finally, he spoke, hesitantly and carefully choosing precise words as if he were verbally walking on eggshells. ''You're a pretty good actor, why'd you get so tied up about kissing Ash? You like her or something?'' 

Both males knew damn well this wasn't the question Sal wanted to ask, but Travis had no idea what was truly on Sal's mind. 

''Of course not, don't be ridiculous.'' Travis scoffed, crossing his arms defensively. No way would he admit to the fact that kissing girls wasn't necessarily something that excited him. 

Sal stepped closer, causing the blonde to press himself closer to the wall, the cold brick was freezing to his spine. ''I just don't kiss girls often.''

This was the truth, he was more accustom to sneaking into gay bars for casual hookups in the bathrooms, however never taking it past third base. 

Inquisitive, icy eyes pierced directly into Travis. Drowning in the pair of Arctic Oceans, Travis stared back into the pools of blue. Sal had a way of looking at people. His eyes were the only way he could truly emote, his prosthetic covering the rest of his features. A simple glance was enough to drive Travis wild.

In his eyes, Sal's typical passive and aloofness had been replaced with a  chaotic neutral vibe.  ''Then how'd you learn to kiss like that?'' Another step forward from Sal, another hitch in Travis's breath. Travis desperately tried to come up with something, any excuse that could cover his ass, however his fable was unwritten.

Sal continued moving closer until he had to physically look up in order to maintain eye contact with the taller boy.  He watched the male before him stutter, Travis ' jumbled thoughts attempting to stay hidden, yet to no avail. They unfolded right in front of him. Sal found it intriguing to analyze the way the blonde thinks.

Finally, as Travis was done blabbering on, Sal placed a firm hand onto Travis ' chest, causing him to gasp ever so slightly, leaning into the touch.

''Can I kiss you?''

Sal's words hit Travis like a smack in the face. He felt as if he was being mocked, was being led on by his peer. 

Sal had a girlfriend. Sal's girlfriend was his castmate. Sal's girlfriend didn't deserve to get cheated on.

However, Sal was alone with Travis. Sal had his hand firmly placed on Travis' chest. Sal drove Travis completely mad.

After his mind ran five thousand miles a minute, all Travis was able to choke out was a meek, ''Why?''

''Because I've done a lot of thinking, and I've decided that I'd rather have those lips on me than on anyone else.'' Sal's tone was nothing but a whisper, floating through the air such as a spell would escape a pagan's lips, black magic causing Travis to weak in the knees. ''You remember that letter you wrote me in freshman year? The one you never gave me? You threw in on the floor in the boy's bathroom, I found it. I know you wrote it, and I know you wrote it about me.''

Travis’ lips let out a slight hiss. His stomach sank. Of course, he remembered that letter. Of course, he remembered telling Sal to leave him alone while he sobbed in the handicapped bathroom, clutching onto the empty envelope that had Sal’s name written on it. 

“Shit.” All Travis was able to murmur was a simple swear while staring at his feet.

Sal lifted his prosthetic slightly, his warm breath against Travis’ ear.

“And I know you still feel the same way, am I wrong?”

Knees shaking, hands desperately clinging onto the wooden shelf he leaned upon, Travis felt as if his legs were about to give up on him. But Sal just continued with his whip like words.

At this point, Travis wasn’t able to comprehend Sal’s voice, as if the words were muted by a hand that held Travis underwater.

“What's your point?” Travis spat, he was getting impatient now.

“So you’re not denying it?” Sal pulled away, fixing his prosthetic so his face was covered once more. He shifted his weight, pinning Travis with an intense, yet curious gaze.

“I won't lie, you’re insufferable. But I did write that letter about you.” A pause. “I’m gay.” 

Travis didn't know how to start, but he tried to form his sentences the best he could. “I'm not proud of it, but I've come to terms with it.”

The pair sat in silence, the tension was thick, choking Travis as he breathed it in like smoke, unable to inhale any oxygen. Sal’s silence pressured Travis to keep talking.

“Look, of course, I’m uncomfortable about kissing Ash. She’s a girl, and  _ your _ girlfriend _. _ ”

“Why does that change anything? Why does her being my girlfriend effect the situation.” Travis felt like wilting, wanted to slink out of his clothes and crawl into a hole until the sun went down.

“I’m going to ask again. Can I kiss you?  I can see the green light, I can see it in your eyes. But I’m going to ask just in case I’m misreading the situation. Is this okay?”

Travis was getting desperate now, wanting Sal to press their lips together. He was so frustrated, and he hated Sal so much. For all of this. For the constant arguments, for the openness of his sexuality, for the way he was able to sing in a room full of people like no one was watching him. For the way, Travis was never able to get over him.

Travis nodded, and almost immediately Sal slipped his prosthetic off his head, placing it onto one of the nearby shelves, simultaneously grabbing Travis by the collar, their lips colliding like two commits. Travis’ heart raced like a terrified rabbit trying to outrun a feral cat. But the cat was too swift, catching the rabbit by the throat and pinning it to the ground, marveling at its prey, just as Sal had pinned Travis to the shelves.

Because of their height difference, Sal had to stand on his toes in order to reach Travis, his leg in between Travis’ quivering thighs, holding him up against the wall. Sal’s hands traveled up into Travis’ hair, giving the golden strands a slight tug, earning a mewl from his lips.

Travis immediately pulled away from the kiss, face flushed red, shutting his eyes in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, was that a moan?” A Smirk crept onto Sal’s scarred lips, or what was left of them. 

“Of course not! I just didn’t expect that at all.” Travis’ eyes were still screwed shut, he prayed to the god he didn’t believe in that Sal would believe him.

“Liar.” Sal spoke his words, while having his face a millimeter away from Travis’, their lips brushing as his voice sent shivers down Travis’ spine. 

Once more, Sal took the initiative and kissed the taller male with vigor, Travis continued to moan, grinding against Sal’s thigh, reaching shaky hands up his “Sanity’s Fall” sweatshirt, digging his nails into his soft flesh for support. 

They continued for what seemed like only minutes, but in reality, was about an hour of being tangled in each other's limbs. Finally, Travis pulled away from the kiss, tilting his head down to look at Sal. For the first time, Sal realized that his face was exposed and Travis could see all of him. 

Sal’s gaze shifted to the right, going from confident to meek in a matter of seconds.

“I- I’m sorry. I know I look kind of scary.” He then looked up to make eye contact with Travis one more. “I hope this doesn’t scare you off.”

Travis chuckled, bringing a hand up to gently cup Sal’s cheek; the one that was still intact.

“I don't care about your face, freshman year I liked you for your personality and understanding. Now I’m attracted to you cause we’re both frustrated, horny teens and you've got me pinned up against a wall.” Travis pecked Sal on the forehead, his scarred skin surprisingly soft. He then checked his watch, making sure he wasn’t out past his curfew. 

“Shit, it's almost 9, I gotta get going.” Travis tried to step past the shorter man, but Sal placed his hand on Travis’ shoulder, roughly slamming him against the shelf.

Sal’s deep voice whispered into Travis’ ear, sending shivers down his spine. “You can go, but just wait for tomorrow.” He bit Travis’ ear ever so slightly, his tongue licking up the sensitive cartilage causing the shakey male to moan once more, feeling himself get hard in his pants. “Your homework for tonight is to touch yourself. I want you to wrap your hands around your cock, imagine my hands- or better yet, my mouth traveling all over. My head bobbing up and down on your dick.” Travis’ knees buckled as Sal’s hand made it’s way down in between the taller male’s thighs, groping his erection through his jeans. “And if that’s not good enough for you, imagine me riding your cock. Imagine my hips grinding, taking you deeper and deeper. Or maybe I’d be the one fucking you? Who knows, it’s your fantasy.”

And with that Sal stepped back, causing the taller male to collapse onto his knees. He then swiftly got up and tried to steady himself, but to no avail. Sal just stood there. Smirking up at Travis, his hand palming at his own erection through his red, skinny jeans.

Travis couldn't help but swear underneath his breath the entire way home, driving had never been more of a chore, especially since he would have rather had one hand fingering himself while the other was wrapped around his erection, instead of having both sweaty and shaky palms attached to the steering wheel. 

He had no idea what he was getting himself into, and how the two boy’s relationship would steadily snowball as the days got closer to the actual show. He had no idea how much he would be tripping for the next few weeks. But Travis knew one thing for certain. 

He hated Sal.

He hated Sal so fucking much.

And he couldn’t wait to be fucked by Sal.


	3. Over the Love of You

Driving up to the gated residential, Travis impatiently parked and flew down the walkway that lead up to his home. It was a three-story English tutor. There was a beautiful rose garden that lined the entrance, as well as cherry blossom trees that were scattered all over the property. They looked absolutely stunning in full bloom. Finally, there was a large chunk of quartz towards the center of the front yard.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Travis got to the front door. Fumbling with his keys as he searched for the right one. Finally he got a hold of the right one, jamming it into the lock and hastily turning the key.

The walls of the Phelps household were covered in not happy family photos, but religious paintings and crosses. When you stepped in, you were greeted by a three foot, birch wood statue of the Virgin Mary, her rhinestone eyes cutting into Travis like a knife.

He tossed his bag onto the couch, paying no attention to the handwritten note on the table. Feet floating up the old, oak staircase, creaking each step of the way.

Almost ripping the door off his hinges, Travis flung himself into his room and plopped onto his bed. Shakily unbuttoning his pants, not even taking the time to take off his cashmere sweater. He then reached for a bottle of lube in the secret compartment he built into his bed frame. Pouring a generous amount onto his fingers, a tad bit dripped onto his bed sheets, but for he paid no attention to that. At the moment all he needed was friction.

Travis’ lube slicked hand lowered to his fully erect cock, he was painfully hard from the fantasies of Sal he was forced to endure while driving home. Impatient fingers hastily wrapped around Travis’ length.

However Travis didn’t feel his fingers.

He felt Sal.

He felt Sal’s warm lips.

As He moved his hand up and down, he felt Sal as he deepthroated Travis’ dick.

Sal moaned as his head bobbed up and down, forcing a whine out of Travis’ lungs. The pleasure left the taller male blind. The blue haired boy looked up at Travis with blue eyes to match. Licking a stripe up Travis’ length, causing the taller male to bite down on his finger, trying to muffle his moans.

However his attempts were fruitless, his shaky voice still escaped his lips. It was music to Sal’s ears, causing him to suck on the tip of Travis’ cock, precum and saliva dripping from Sal’s lips.

“Sal,” A desperate, high pitched mewl escaped from Travis’ lips while his thighs were shaking.

Travis was a mess, one hand tangled in his own hair, tugging slightly to try and get some stability. His heart was racing, breaths becoming heavy, blood rushing down to his throbbing erection. Sal’s bobbing became less even paced, less rhythmic, more uncontrollable, indicating he was also close to climax.

With a loud sigh, Travis came, tears welling in his eyes, screwing them shut with ecstasy. Fault lines made way for an earthquake, shivers down his spine. After he finished, he leaned against his wall in post-orgasm bliss, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Finally, after calming himself down, he looked in between his legs, ready to pull Sal up onto his chest. He wanted to hold the smaller boy, spoon him as they fell asleep cuddling.

However Sal was not there. Sal was just a fantasy, a figment of his imagination.

Travis brought his hands up to his face, covering it in shame. He sat there, covered in his own cum.

The blue-eyed beauty wasn’t there with him,

“I thought I was over the love of you” He moaned into his hands, Travis would have cried if he wasn’t so mentally exhausted.

He fell asleep, underneath his covers, smothered in his own cum, face streaked with drying tears. In the morning he would deal with his father and his champagne drunken home.


	4. Undo What Has Been Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not much nsfw in this chapter. Its pretty much just filler and plot development.  
> Here's the referenced song "Peace Song" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk5B6kY5_Hg

The dawn awoke Travis, sun striking his face, making him groan. As soon as he sat up he felt the dried cum on his legs. He swore underneath his breath and snuck out to the bathroom without being seen by his father. He turned the hot water on and began to set up a bath.

Once the tub was full, Travis slipped out of his shirt and carefully lowered himself into the warm water, hissing as his cold stomach was submerged into the tub. Finally Travis laid in the tub, head leaned back as the warm steam filled his nostrils.

And he just sat there, letting the water soak into his pores, not bothering to bathe himself at all. Travis was still somewhat shaken by the events that unfolded the night prior. He let himself sink underneath the water, his blonde hair floating around him like a halo. He exhaled out of his nose, the trapped air in his lungs being released like boiling water bubbling to the surface. You can't choose what stays and what fades away, and Travis wished more than anything, that his fantasy of Sal could cease haunting him, yet his bright blue eyes always on his mind like a bad memory.

Travis needed some kind of revelation, not some conversation he could never have. Sal was a revelation, some kind of resolution. He felt as if he was living without a lifeline. But what had he expected? Falling for Sal in freshman year was the biggest mistake of his life. Though he was certain only sexual feelings remained, he now was unsure. Travis feared that he would be lusting after Sal for an eternity that would never be enough.

After his bath, Travis quickly dressed himself in a black sweater that he had knitted with thick, velvet yarn, put on a pair of baggy sweatpants, and slipped on a pair of neon blue fuzzy socks. Grabbing his hoodie and stumbling while he put on his shoes, he ran out of his bedroom and raced downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. That’s when he noticed the note on the dining room table.

Travis picked up the letter. It was written on a napkin, words written in red ink.

 

Travis,

I will be out for a few days, should be back on Thursday of next month. You are in charge of Sunday school until I return. Just because I’m not there to keep you in line doesn’t mean you can get into any trouble. The lord is always watching.

See you soon.

-Dad

 

Travis was so relieved, he would have to house to himself for two whole weeks. However, Travis had no time to waste, his bus would arrive at the entrance of the gates at 6:46 sharp. It took two minutes to walk there and it was already 6:38. Travis grabbed an apple from his fridge, deciding he didn’t have enough time to make cereal. Taking his backpack and keys, he ran out the door and made his way to the bus stop.

 

The school day dragged on, Travis was hardly able to pay attention during his classes. Too distracted by the thought of play rehearsal, having no idea what was in store for him.

By the time choir rolled around, Travis could barely even look in Sal’s direction. Whenever he just so happened to glance towards Sal, he stared back with those freezing, icy eyes, gleaming with mischief, indicating a smirk underneath his prosthetic. Travis’ stomach churned with anticipation, blood rushing to his face, flushing him, his ears changing from a smooth, dark caramel to a bright red, similar to the color of a rose.

The class was singing a song called “Peace Song” which all the kids loved to call “Blessed” Because of the ridiculous amount of times they had to sing that phrase. Sal also referred to it as “The Jesus Freak Song” just to piss off Travis.

As the sopranos and altos clashed, it sounded odd at first, but that is how their parts were written. However, the tenors and bases helped to smooth out the tension, creating beautiful minor chords with their voices. A G flat right after a B, followed by two E sharps. One note came right after the next, perfect repetition of the words, a pathway paved by the song of peace.

 

After choir came science, then a fruitless study hall. To top the day off, Travis found himself reading Tybalt’s lines in Romeo and Juliet in his english class. His school always left the Shakespeare units for the very end of the year, ending the year on a good note because most of the students heavily enjoyed Shakespeare. After analyzing another quote from the fourth act, the bell rung, dismissing the students to trample one another in the narrow, stone brick lined hallways. Travis said goodbye to his teacher and slowly exited the hallway, giving himself enough time to not get shoved by hurrying teens. He made his way down the staircase that lead to another hollowed hall, all of the scurrying students gone by now.

Travis typically would have taken his sweet time getting to rehearsal. But at this moment he was practically sprinting, he almost tumbled when he reached the backstage door. Travis swung the door open, causing it to crash against an old set piece from A Chorus Line, the musical they did earlier in the year. He cringed at the loud noise and sheepishly walked through the costume room until he reached the stage.

Travis jumped off the raised wooden platform, landing silently on his feet and walked over to his typical seat in the fourth row to put his bag down. To his surprise, his seat was occupied. Occupied by a certain blue haired male.

“I don't have time for this Sal, this is my seat.” Travis rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Trying to look as annoyed as possible to mask the anxiety burning in his chest.

Sal was not convinced.

“You’re an actor Trav,” Travis felt that nickname in his stomach. Sal knew what he was doing. “Try to act like you aren’t glad to see me. There aren’t assigned seats anyway.”

It was true. It wasn’t like Travis had anything grand to say, however, in a weird twisted way, he did look forward to seeing Sal again.

I’m not acting, _Sally Face_ ,” Travis sneered, attempting to fill his voice with as much disdain as possible, to no avail. “I am mad.”

Sal crossed his legs and rested his arms on the neighboring chairs.

“Of course darling.”

Travis’ entire face flushed. He grit his teeth, yanking Sal by the collar. He hadn’t laid a finger on the smaller boy since freshman year, but he was trying to act as intimidating as possible.  
“Get out of my seat. Now.”

Sal got up, pushing Travis against the back of the seats in front of them, a hand on the taller male’s chest.

“You’re taking the reins now?” He smirked. “This will be interesting.”

Travis swallowed hard as Sal chuckled. Then he stepped back from Travis. Travis let out a sigh of relief as Sal exited the row and made his way over to Ash, who had been too distracted by Neil to notice what was going on with the two boys.

Sal, once again, was right. This would be interesting.

 

“Hello, I’m Emmett Forrest.” Travis recited his lines, a quirky smile plastered on his lips. Though he was nothing like Emmett in real life, Travis was a great actor. Once he got on stage he was able to pull himself together, let go of anything else in his life, if only for a moment. “Welcome to the hallowed halls of Harvard Law. I know firsthand how hard you’ve all worked to be here today, so let’s go around and share a bit about yourselves.”

Neil slammed his foot on the bench that was positioned upstage and to the right, causing Todd, who was playing Prince Padamadan and Megan, who played Enid Hoopes, to jump. While being in character, Todd acted uncomfortable with Neil’s foot being so close to him, and Megan crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.   
“Aaron Schultz!” Neil had the amazing ability to project his voice. Continuing his melodic monologue as he introduced his character.

Though Neil’s projection was amazing, it was nothing compared to Megan’s voice.  
“Enid Hoopes!” Her voice filled the room as she jumped up from the bench, fist in the air. Megan had no problem playing Enid, being an independent woman was exactly what she was all about. Though she was typically quiet natured, on stage she could fit the role of anyone, including the over the top, slightly obnoxious, Enid.

Megan was the first freshman in 4 years that got a lead role. Freshman rarely got leads, however, she was an amazing actor. Not to mention that she was kind, caring and nearly everyone in the cast and crew loved her. She had a lot of stressors in her life. She cried very often and had a hard time socializing, sometimes feeling like an outsider or ghost. However, the purple haired girl felt at home within the caring cast. Though she wept often and had a myriad of mental illnesses, she was one of the happiest people Travis knew.

The scene was over and “Blood in the water” commenced. Larry Johnson, who played Professor Callahan, did an amazing job as usual.

“Our topic is,“ Larry's low tone hindered him from projecting as much as his cast members, however, once each lead was hooked up with a microphone, he would be fine. Larry had the ability to perfectly copy the voice of any singer. So when he played Professor Callahan, he sounded exactly like the original Broadway actor, which never failed to stun Travis.

 

The first act ended with little criticism from Mrs. Packerton, only a few minor changes to the blocking. The kids were given an hour dinner break, but Travis had no intention on eating.

Travis overheard Ash asking Sal if he’d like to run to Dunkin Donuts with her, to have a little snack before rehearsal started up again. He tried not to stare at the couple, but he couldn't help himself.  
“Sorry pumpkin,” Sal was looking directly at Travis, holding him in an emotionless gaze. “I gotta stay back and fix some of the soundtracks.

There was a mutual understanding between the two males that Sal had no intention on fixing the tracks. Travis’ stomach churned with excitement and anticipation, anxiously rubbing his wrist to calm himself down.

Sal and Ash exchanged a few words before Ashley pecked him on the cheek and exited the auditorium with Maple and Chug. Sal then beckoned Travis to follow him with a hand waving the taller male over and making his way backstage.

With a shallow exhale, Travis followed the blue haired beauty, heart beating out of his chest.

Travis knew exactly where Sal was, so he made his way over to the closet, stepping inside and closing the door. Sal was leaned up against a wall, prosthetic already removed and placed on a nearby shelf that was littered with electrical chords. The shorter male smirked up at Travis, who closed the door, never breaking eye contact with Sal.

After the door was shut, Sal shoved Travis against it with a firm hand, pressing his lips against Travis’. Travis, on the other hand, did not expect for Sal to jump right into it. He expected some kind of conversation, some hesitation at the least. But that wasn’t the case.  That wasn't Sal's MO.

Sal knew what he wanted and when he wanted it.

Travis clung onto Sal for dear life, letting his eyes flutter shut. Though there was nothing romantic about the situation, Travis couldn’t help but flush red as Sal’s lips kissed a trail down the blonde’s neck, nipping at his tan skin along the way. Travis yelped slightly at the sudden stimulation, instinctively wrapping his arms around Sal for stability. Sal removed Travis’ shirt, tossing it on the floor and rubbing Travis’ hip bones with his thumb while they kissed.

After a few minutes of this, Sal got bored, pulling away from the kiss, making Travis whine in protest which only made Sal smirk. Hands still on Travis’ hips, the blue haired male planted kisses from the blonde’s collar bones all the way to his stomach, leaving a trail of hickeys and causing Travis to moan involuntarily when Sal’s lips brushed his lower stomach. Sal began to unzip Travis’ jeans, causing the taller male to gasp.   
Sal, who was on his knees hesitated, looking up at Travis who swallowed hard.

“Is it okay if I suck you off?”

The words lingered in the air, catching Travis off guard.  
“I’m sorry,” He stuttered, voice cracking slightly. “You want to what?”

Sal laughed, his smile genuine this time. “You know, wrap my lips around your dick and-”

“No no!” Travis cut the shorter male off, covering his face with his hands and chuckling with embarrassment. “I know what you mean, I just didn’t expect it.” He uncovered his face, looking down at Sal, face serious now. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Sal returned the serious look. “Are _you_ sure?”

“I mean, you have a girlfriend, and I’m in the closet, and were literally in a closet,” Travis began to ramble, listing reason after reason for the pair to not go through with this. Eventually, he cut himself off, sighing and letting his gaze linger on Sal’s beautiful blue eyes. “I’m sure, but after we do this, we can't undo what has been done.”

“I know."

Was Sal’s only response.


	5. I'm Not Used to This

Travis’ palm was pressed against his mouth, muffling his cries as Sal licked stripe after stripe up the blonde’s shaft. Sal was a dove feathered raven, the personification of an oxymoron. He kept to himself, yet when needed be he could take control of the situation. He was short, yet held all of the power. It was unexpected that such a boy could be so dominant. Sal’s lips weren’t like any touch Travis had ever known. He just stared as the blue haired male killed him with mercy. With each movement came a tidal wave of pleasure, causing Travis to leak with precum, his hand making its way to Sal’s head, intertwining his fingers in the shorter male’s hair.

Head bobbing up and down, Sal was way too good at this. Travis was falling apart as Sal sucked the tip of Travis’ cock, working his hands along the rest of his length, causing Travis to shake. He was barely able to hold himself up, gripping the door handle to make sure he didn’t fall to the floor.

“Fuck, Sal…” A high pitched moan erupted from deep within Travis’ chest. Sal looked up at Travis, smirking with the taller male’s cock in his mouth. Sal then proceeded to deepthroat the entire length without any warning to Travis, making him yelp. As Sal worked his magic, he began to hum "A Peace Song" while moving his head up and down in a steady, rhythmic motion. The vibrations from Sal’s mouth traveled all the way up Travis’ spine. The entire situation was so surreal. The blue haired succubus was on his knees for Travis, and having Sal in real life was so much better than any fantasy Travis could conjure up with his imagination.

Travis’ moans filled the room, pure ecstasy was the only thing that he could feel as Sal moved his hands down to Travis’ tender thighs, gripping them as he worked. Travis couldn’t help but scream Sal’s name over and over as he approached his orgasm, his voice filling the semi soundproof closet. Travis was louder than a gavel striking a judges table, louder than anything Sal had ever heard before.

Travis’ uncontrollable babbling seemed to do the trick for Sal, for he began to shake, palming at his own painfully hard erection through his pants, also close to his own orgasm.

Sal’s tongue running over Travis’ slit was the last straw. A choked cry escaped Travis’ throat as he came into Sal’s warm mouth. With this, Sal also came, ruining his pants.

Sal swallowed every last drop of Travis’ cum, looking up at Travis with round eyes, the remainder of Travis’ cum dripping from his scarred lips. Travis collapsed to the floor, painting with shaky thighs, unable to hold himself up any longer.

Sal scooted over to sit next to Travis, leaning his head on the taller male’s shoulder.

“You okay dude?” Sal closed his eyes, snuggling into Travis, who was as red as a tomato.

“Yeah, are you okay Sal?” He nodded and gave Travis a thumbs up.

The two boys sat there, cuddling, getting drunk off the company of the other. The pair just sat there, taking care of the other by keeping him company. Travis was unused to aftercare. He was used to being left alone after fooling around with strangers. He was used to regretting his decisions. Aftercare was nice, the two boys washed up and dressed in Travis’s costumes, putting their soiled clothes in bags. After that, Sal bought Travis a sticky bun from the vending machine to make sure he was fed. Then the pair made their way back to the supplies closet, cuddling and talking for what seemed like hours. There was no time, no space, just the two boys in post orgasmic bliss.

“Thank you for this.” Travis softly smiled at the shorter male, taking his hand in his own.

Sal chuckled slightly, looking up at Travis. “Are you thanking me for giving you a blow job?”

“No! No! That’s not what I meant!” The two boys burst in laughter, Travis’ face flushed harder and a blush crept across Sal’s face as well. “What I meant was, well,” Travis didn’t know how to articulate his thoughts. “Thanks for being so kind.”

Sal’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Like,” Travis hesitated, planning his words in his head. “Aftercare. Thank you. I’m not used to this.”

Even more confused now, Sal cocked his head to the side, a sympathetic smile making its way onto his lips. “You’ve never had someone take care of you after you came?” Travis shook his head and Sal nuzzled into the crook of the taller boy’s neck. “Dude, after an orgasm is when you are the most emotionally vulnerable, I’m so sorry no one's ever done this for you.”

Travis didn’t have time to respond because he was interrupted by the sound of the theater kids barging into the auditorium, singing songs from miscellaneous musicals. Sal and Travis ran out of the dressing room, making their way to their posts and acting like nothing happened. For the rest of rehearsal, whenever Travis was on stage he would look directly at Sal. When he was supposed to speak to an invisible crowd, he was speaking directly to Sal.

 

Once rehearsal ended, Travis made his way to his dressing room. Gathering his bag along with his soiled clothes. He was typically the last one to leave the theater, not for any particular reason, he just never seemed to be a rush to get home. There was a knock at the door and Travis knew that it couldn't have been anyone other than Sal.

Travis opened the door, smiling at Sal who now had his prosthetic on.

“Hey.” Travis had all of his things together and so did Sal.

“Hey.” Sal responded, Travis could see the blue haired boy’s eyes crease, letting him know that Sal was smiling back. “Do you have my Instagram?”

Travis nodded. Of course he had Sal’s Instagram. He had been following the smaller male since freshman year. “You have mine?” Sal nodded.

The pair walked to the front entrance of their school without a word. There was no tension in their silence. Only a mutual understanding that everything was going to be okay. Travis waved at Sal as he got into his car, receiving a light honk as a response from Sal. The two men drove home, the other on their mind.

Seeing Sal, in that position, on his knees, was burnt into Travis’ brain. He wanted more. As soon as he got home, Travis made his way up the creaky stairs and into his room, plopping down on his bed. The bad blood between the two boys had drained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the smut scene is short. I kinda rushed this chapter.


	6. To Request Company

Travis awoke to the sound of crows outside his window, singing with their screams, as if the choir in their lungs had been burnt out, throats charred. Travis walked over to his window, parting the silk curtains to lift said window, shooing the crows away. After today he would have the weekend to himself. An entire weekend to relax, a temporary break from all of the demanding rehearsals, but an entire two days without Sal.

Travis groggily made his way to the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of honey nut cheerios and checking his phone. He had a few notifications, some unopened snapchat streaks, some twitter and youtube notifications, some texts from the legally blonde group chat to remind the cast what the rehearsal schedule would be for the next few days. Two notifications stood out among the rest. Both from Instagram.

 

Sally_Face_1999 sent a photo

Sally_Face_1999 sent a message

 

Travis immediately opened Instagram, not even bothering to look at his other notifications. Clicking on his DMs, Travis opened Sal’s message. He was greeted by a picture of Sal, sitting in what seemed to be his bedroom, walls covered in obscure band posters and peeling, beige paint on the walls. Sal appeared to be waving at Travis in the photo, leaning up against his wall, his prosthetic masking any emotion the blue haired male showed.

 

Sally_Face_1999:  
hey trav

 

Travis sent Sal a photo of his cereal bowl, adding a “good morning” gif to the picture. Almost immediately Sal responded.

 

Sally_Face_1999:  
shit man is that honey nut cheerios? that’s my favorite fucking cereal

Ivegotgodandanimeonmyside678:  
Yeah, it’s my favorite as well.

 

Travis was overly formal when he typed, sometimes responding to text messages with an entire paragraph. The pair continued to text until Travis checked the time. Realizing that he was going to be late, he swore under his breath. Telling Sal that he would see him at rehearsal and hurrying to his car, hastily turning the key and revving the engine.

When Travis arrived at school he was 15 minutes late to his first class. He apologized for his tardiness and immediately got to work. Since Travis was never late to class, his teacher didn’t mark him as tardy. One of the perks of being a fairly good student.

In freshman year, Travis always tried one-upping Sal.

 

No matter what he seemed to do, Sal was always three steps ahead of him, especially when they were younger. Always finishing his tests first. Always getting higher grades. Travis was full of jealousy, especially since he worked his tail off only to have his father tear him apart for any grade less than a 95. Sal would always talk about how he never studied. And it seemed to be the truth because of the fact that during study hall, he’d just sleep instead of doing homework or cramming for exams.

This, along with Travis’ conflicted feelings for the boy, was one of the main reasons Travis used to bully Sal in their freshman year. However, that was far behind them. Besides quarreling in choir, Travis left Sal alone. That was until their little escapades at play rehearsal.

 

The bell that ended the last period of the bell rang. Travis waited for the initial wave of rushing students to subside before leaving the classroom. Once arriving in the auditorium, Travis made his way backstage and to his dressing room. Getting dressed into his first costume and putting back the now washed costumes that he wore the day prior.

After that, Travis made his way over to the costume closet. It was a large walk-in closet with row after row of vintage jackets, full suits, prom dresses, tattered ties, ancient costumes from prior shows, you name it. Checking out of a few articles of clothing, his eyes eventually landed on an old shoebox off to the side. Kneeling down, Travis opened the shoe box to reveal a large collection of Broadway playbills. There were so many signed, original cast, first edition, colored copy playbills, along with every single ticket from each show Mrs. Packerton had ever been to. There were easily 70 playbills in the box, most likely more. As he flipped through each artifact of theatrical history, Travis realized how amazing this discovery really was. This box could be worth tens of thousands of dollars, some of the playbills were even priceless. As Travis gawked at the playbills, he heard his name being called from the stage. He hastily but carefully placed all of the playbills back into the shoebox and made his way onto the stage.

 

Travis recited lines until his face turned blue, he sang until his lungs gave out, he danced until his feet almost bled. Travis truly was whipped into shape, tired from the seven-hour rehearsal with only three, ten-minute breaks.

At 9:30 Travis made his way over to the lighting booth where Sal was wrapping up some excess chords. By now, Travis and Sal had stayed 15 minutes longer than they had to, making them, once again, the only two people left in the auditorium. Because Sal thought everyone else had left, his prosthetic on the wooden table beside him. He jumped as Travis knocked on the open door.

“Hey Sal, can I come in?”

Sal nodded, giving a nod while proceeding to wrap up his work, not even looking up to look at the taller male.

“Sure man, I’m almost done in here.”

The fact that Sal acted like nothing had happened between the two of them got under Travis’ skin. Did what happened in the closet mean nothing to Sal? Was that one day the end of the aftercare? Was Travis the only one who had a change of heart after their little escapade?

It shouldn't have bothered Travis as much as it did, it wasn't as if Travis had developed feelings for the blue haired boy. For reasons he did not know how to name, Travis almost felt betrayed by Sal's usual indecipherable attitude towards him. It wasn't atypical for Sal to come off as cold, but in a way, Travis expected more.

Finally, Sal had finished up with his work, silently ushering Travis out of the room as he grabbed his prosthetic, clipping it back onto his face. He then locked the door to the lighting booth.

“So,” Sal started, devoid of any obvious emotion. “Did you need me for anything?”

Travis swallowed hard, images of heaven, images of Sal sucking Travis off were still lingering in his mind. These images would take him to hell. They would be the death of him if he was unable to get more.

“My father is out for the next few weeks.” Sal cocked an eyebrow while Travis began to speak, curious as to what the taller male was getting at. Travis took a deep breath. His heart beating out of his chest. “I was wondering if you wanted to stay the night?”

Sal smirked underneath his prosthetic mask, a devious smile taking over his lips. Travis could not see underneath Sal’s prosthetic, he worried that he had crossed a line.

“Sure.” All Sal did was respond with was a single word. Yet Travis felt himself growing anxious already. He had never had anybody sleep over at his house. Not even when he was younger.

 

Sal followed Travis in his car. Finally, the pair pulled up to a ridiculously nice neighborhood, making Sal a little jealous. The homes were huge, most made with stone, which is very expensive to have a home with walls like that. Travis lived in a grand, English Tudor style home. The yard was beautiful and well tamed, flowers and trees giving the home a mystical effect.

Travis got out of his car and Sal did the same, grabbing his book bag right before following Travis down the walkway. Sal seemed cool and collective while Travis was visibly freaking out, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves. Travis jammed the keys into the keyhole and turned, pushing the door open with his other hand.

As soon as Sal entered the home he was greeted by religious propaganda surrounding him from all angles and a wave of something cold. Something sinister. As if this house was home to fear and hatred rather than faith.

“So, you're welcome to make yourself at home.” Travis was stalling, unsure of how to proceed with the situation. “Do you want anything? Water, a snack? We can watch a movie, we can just hang out in my room, we can do anything you want really.”

“Some water would be nice. And if you want we can head up to your room and chill.” Sal took off his prosthetic, rubbing his face with one of his hands.

“Okay,” Travis silently inhaled, trying to get his bearings on the task at hand. Water. Sal asked for water. He also asked to go into Travis’ room. But maybe it really was just to hang out. “You head upstairs, my room’s the first to the right.”

“Cool,” The corner of Sal’s mouth twitched slightly. “I’ll meet you up there.”

As Travis poured them each a glass of water, Sal went upstairs, entering Travis’ room and was immediately welcomed with the warm scent of lavender and vanilla; maybe even a hint of sage. Unlike his own room, there were no posters on the dark blue walls. There was a singular cross above his bed and two acoustic guitars on either side of a bookshelf that was in the corner of his room. Surprisingly, Travis’ room was immaculate. There was no mess to be seen, no clothes on the floor, all of the books on the shelf were neat. It was unlike a typical teens room.

 

When Travis got up to his room, he and Sal sat on the wooden floor, sipping their water and talking.

“I have an idea,” Sal cocked his head to the side, smiling ever so slightly. “I’d like to get to know you better. Let's play truth or dare?”

Travis’ heart stopped. This was a game kids played at middle school birthday parties, why was Sal bringing it up now when it was just the two of them? This game also was a perfect way for Sal to know how truly inexperienced Travis was with sex.

Despite his concerns, Travis played it cool. Nodding as he never broke eye contact with Sal’s eyes.

“Sure, you wanna go first?”


	7. Holly Hybrid Hymns

“Truth or dare?” 

“Truth.”

Sal sighed, ever so slightly rolling his eyes. “Why don't you ever choose dare?”

Travis was sitting in a crisscross, his hands in his lap. “Is that my truth?”

Sal nodded and Travis fidgeted slightly. “I’m afraid what you may do if you give me a dare.” The blue haired boy smirked, crawling over to Travis until their faces were a mere five inches apart.

“Alright,” He leaned closer to Travis, cooing in his ear. “Just so you know you just gave me an idea for a dare.”

Travis swallowed hard, a lump deep in his throat.

“Okay,” Travis’ voice cracking, his heart beginning to race. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

Travis swallowed again, fidgeting with his hands in his lap. “Uh, I dare you to kiss me?”

“Is that a question?” Sal leaned back on his hands, smirking up at the taller boy.

Travis shook his head, nervously laughing. “No, it’s the dare.”

Sal crawled over to Travis and sat on his lap, his left hand cupping Travis’ cheek as he pulled the taller male in for a kiss. Almost immediately, Sal opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. Travis’ eyes fluttered shut as he wrapped his arms around Sal, clinging to him like someone would cling to a ledge for dear life. Sal began to move his hips, grinding against Travis, drinking him in. Travis’ moans were music to his ears.

Abruptly, Sal pulled away from the kiss, smirking as Travis whined.

“Truth or dare?”

Travis took a deep breath, making direct eye contact with Sal.

“Dare.”

Sal clapped his hands in approval, smirking ever so slightly. “I dare you to let me fuck you.” Travis’ face turned bright red, the tips of his ears a deep, rosy color. Sal continued. “Not now, it's too bright outside for that. Would that be okay?” Travis nodded, a cold sweat running down his spine.

“T-truth or dare?” Travis was stuttering, anxiety welling in his chest.

Sal stretched his arms, then sitting on his knees, Travis tried not to stare at Sal. Sal’s hands were in front of him, his thighs spread, making him look seductive, especially when his blue eyes stared at Travis, holding his gaze.

“I choose truth.”

“Are you a virgin?”

Sal laughed, his bangs bouncing as he giggled. After his fit of hysterics, Sal wiped a tear from his eye. “Of course not, I feel like I've made that obvious enough.”

Travis fidgeted, anxiously cracking his knuckles. “Well, I’m sick of being a virgin.” If it was even possible, Travis’ face flushed deeper, catching Sal’s curiosity. “But I don’t want you to hold back. I’m just letting you know I’m new to this.”

Sal smiled and nodded. “If I’m too rough let me know. I want you to enjoy your first time.” Sal stood up, brushing himself off and reaching a hand towards Travis, pulling him up from the floor. “You can always tell me to stop, even if we are in the middle of it.” Travis smiled, looking down at his feet.

 

“Okay, seriously this movie was totally written by old, straight dudes.” It was 11:30 and the two boys were binging Netflix. At the moment they were watching a film called “All the Cheerleaders Die”, a modern-day fantasy. “I mean come on,” Sal continued criticizing the film while Travis was nearly in tears from laughing so hard, gasping for air. “That is not how lesbians work.”

“How lesbians work?” Travis was holding onto his stomach as he was watching another scene with shitty special effects while Sal shoveled popcorn into his mouth. “Are lesbians robots now?”

“Yes.” Sal’s deadpan reaction caused Travis to fall off the couch, causing Sal to choke on his popcorn and laugh with Travis.

After the pair calmed down a little bit, the two continued to make fun of the shitty movie. “I mean honestly, I don't understand how people can want to fuck girls.” Travis was drunk on laughter and endorphins, possibly delirious. “I mean, how does straight sex work? Does the girl just smother you with the tit?”

Sal burst into laughter, it was not his turn to be a giggling mess. “Smother you with the tit?” He wiped his eyes. “What is this? A shitty lesbian porno?”

Travis gestured to the tv screen. “Yes?”

The two boys continued watching the rest of the film, making fun of the special effects, terrible acting, and the inaccurate, awkward lesbian fan service. After the film ended, neither boy was even paying attention to the screen. Travis laid upside down on the couch, his feet resting on the top of the couch and his head dangling, his blonde hair swaying as he giggled.

“I mean come on,” Sal was pegging Travis with popcorn as he desperately tried to shield himself, however it was too difficult to do so when Travis was upside down. “How dareth thou make fun of Sanity’s Fall when you listen to fucking alt indie?”

“How dareth thou?” Travis was giggling a little too hard, chest heaving so he could barely breathe.

Sal repeated himself dramatically, chucking a fist full of popcorn at Travis’ face. “How dareth thou!”

Travis snorted, then covered his mouth, causing Sal to scream with laughter, practically cackling. “So we’re in Shakespearean times now?” Sal nodded, unable to answer Travis because of how hard he was laughing, his gut beginning to hurt.

After Sal got a hold of himself, Travis was still quietly laughing to himself. The blue haired boy was looking over Travis like a hawk would circle around its prey. Sal moved closer to Travis, placing a hand on his thigh. Travis then realized what Sal was doing. He was fulfilling his promise. Swallowing hard, Travis sat still, unsure how to proceed. Sal began to gently touch Travis, circling his fingers over the taller male’s inner thigh, sending his heart into a frenzy.

“How about we take this to my room?” Sal didn’t expect Travis to take the initiative, but he wasn’t complaining. With that the two boys hastily ran upstairs, Sal shoving Travis against the door as soon as he closed it. To Travis, Sal tasted like lemonade, he was sweet and sour. However Sal could be so warm, sometimes heating Travis to an extreme, bringing his blood to a boil.

Travis opened his mouth for Sal, taking out the smaller male’s pigtails, tossing the hair ties to the floor. Sal let Travis’ hands reach underneath his shirt, digging his nails into Sal’s soft flesh as Sal planted kisses all over the taller boy’s neck, pulling his shirt down so he would have an easier time pleasuring Travis.

Sal nipped at the base of Travis’ neck, making him let out an involuntary yelp. Smirking into Travis’ neck, Sal began to place hickeys all over the taller male, Travis squirmed as Sal had a firm hand placed on his ass. The taller male then began to grind on Sal, a bulge growing in his pants. Sal moaned, bringing his lips back up to Travis’ mouth, his hands moving up to be tangled into Travis’ blonde hair, tugging at the golden strands to pull the taller male closer to him.

After a few more minutes of bumping and grinding, Sal brought the two over to Travis’ bed, never breaking the kiss. Panting, the two parted to let Travis out of his shirt, then Sal immediately went back to attacking Travis’ neck.

“Oh Sal,” Travis’ voice was so shaky, so airy, he needed Sal so bad. Travis moaned, his hips instinctively moving against Sal's waist. He buried his fingers into the shorter male’s hair, tugging slightly as a toddler would squeeze a tricycle's handlebars to try he tried to steady himself. “What do you plan on doing with me?”

“I’m gonna fuck you until you can't see straight, does that sound good to you baby boy?” Sal began to crawl towards Travis as the taller male nodded eagerly, panting as Sal loomed over him.

“Use your words babe,” Sal cooed, the teasing was almost too much for Travis to handle.

“Please!” He shouted louder than he intended, immediately lowering his voice. “Fuck me, touch me, do what you want with me.”

Sal began to grope at Travis through his pants, causing a gasp to escape his lungs. “Does that feel good?” Travis nodded, leaning close to Sal to kiss him. However Sal moved away, teasing the blonde as he refused to give Travis a kiss.

“Take off your pants.” Sal’s voice was raspy and commanding, there was no way Travis could disobey. Shaky hands reached down to the button that was holding Travis’ jeans. The taller male slid them off as Sal watched, grinning.

Travis tossed his pants to the floor, awkwardly sitting there, his entire body flushed as he tried to cover his erection with his hands.

“And your boxers.” Travis’ eyes went wide, but be obliged, slowly slipping off his underwear, it awkwardly getting stuck on his foot. Once they were off he threw those to the floor as well, leaving him fully exposed.

Sal licked his lips, eyes immediately going to Travis’ cock. With a single hand, he reached out to stroke it. With the sudden contact Travis gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. Sal licked his other hand, his saliva acting as lube as he then began to work both of his hands up and down Travis’ hard dick. Travis couldn't help but mewl at the sudden pressure on his cock, sinking his nails into the back of Sal’s neck.

Travis was shaking now, craving more stimulation, his dick growing increasingly harder with every passing second. He screwed his eyes shut, the pleasure was too much for him to bear.  
“Do you trust me Trav?” Sal’s voice was barely a whisper.

Travis was squirming, trying so hard to keep himself together. "I trust you, and I trust that you will fuck me right. Okay, Sal?"

Sal grinned, giving Travis’ erection one last grope moving one hand to Travis’ chest, pushing him down onto the bed and crawling on top of him. Sal still fully clothed, smirked down at the taller male. “Glad we both understand who’s in control here.”

“Use me any way you want, I’ll give you everything.” Travis was covering his flushed face with his hands, both boys were hard as hell, both craving any kind of touch from the other. “I’m ready when you're ready.” Travis’ voice was wavering, cracking, betraying his wants and needs.  
Sal smirked down at the squeamish boy before him as he took off his own pants that were stained with precum. “It's too quiet in this room. I need noise.” He brought his lips mere inches away from Travis’. “I need the buzz of a sub.”

Travis nodded. He could do that for Sal. He could do that and so much more.

“I can’t hear you, use your manners Travis.” he whispered against the shell of Travis’ ear, his hand sliding down the taller male’s body before his slender fingers gripped Travis’ thigh, yanking the shaking leg up to his waist, his nails lightly scratching the surface, tracing circles into the smooth skin of Travis’ thighs.

Travis’ jaw dropped ever so slightly, his tongue was so tied the only thing that could escape his lips were slurred pleads, his vocal cords about to give up on him. His ears were very sensitive, feeling Sal’s warm breath against him made his whine, a desperate yelp escaped his lips as the shorter male touched him. Travis was so unbelievably turned on right now. It didn't matter if there was any regret in the morning. He needed this.

Travis brought one hand down to his dripping cock, his dick twitching, craving any kind of touch. Sal grabbed Travis’ arm, pinning it to the bed as Travis yelped in shock.

“Did I say you could touch yourself?” Travis shook his head.

“S-sorry”

“Beg me for forgiveness”

Travis’ thighs were so shaky, his breath hitching, cock throbbing.

“I’m sorry Sal!” Travis screamed so loud it rattled the windows, but he didn't care to lower his voice.

“That’s a good boy.” Sal nibbled on Travis’ lobe, licking along the sensitive skin and sucking lightly on the shell of the blonde’s ear.

Travis was surprisingly vocal. Because of his theatrical abilities, he was able to project his voice, causing his moans to be excruciatingly loud. Sal brought a hand up to one of Travis’ nipples, twisting it between his forefinger and thumb, making the taller male gasp. His cock was touch starved, quivering as it basically begged to be stimulated. Sal continued to tease Travis, noticing how painfully hard he looked, however not giving him what he wanted. Sal wanted to watch Travis squirm.

“Do you have condoms and lube?” Travis nodded, hastily reaching under his bed to grab a condom and the bottle of lube, practically shoving into Sal’s hands, making him chuckle. “Eager, aren’t you?” Travis nodded, vocal cords unable to work, only moans escaping from his lungs. Sal took off his clothes, revealing his own dick that was painfully erect. Travis had to think about every breath, for if he didn't he would forget to breathe entirely.

Sal unwrapped the condom and stripped himself of his clothes, tossing them onto the floor. He had obviously been experienced with quickly getting undressed because of the way he got every garment off with ease. Unrolling it onto his cock, Sal poured a generous amount of lube onto his hand and spread it all over his dick.

Travis gasped as Sal slid a lubed finger inside of him, hips bucking, breaths hitching. A second finger entered Travis, scissoring his tight hole, moving the fingers in and out.

Travis screamed when Sal prodded at his prostate, sending a shot of pleasure throughout his entire body. Sal smirked and continued to rub the bundle of nerves, Travis mewling and speaking incoherently. Sal then took his fingers out of the moaning mess of a boy, lining his dick up with Travis’ puckered hole and slowly sliding it in, making sure not to hurt Travis. Once he was all the way in he began to move, thrusting back and forth.

Travis mewled, he had never felt like this before. A myriad of noises escaped his lips, only making Sal pound him harder. Sal moved both or his hands to Travis’ waist, helping him to continue to thrust into Travis. As Sal continued, his thrusts gradually became more rough, sinking his nails into his hips and fucking the taller male until he was on the verge of tears. Travis had such selfish prayers and there was no way he could get enough. Sal let out a moan as his thrusts began to get more sporadic, less rhythmic. Bedroom hymns and choral screams. The songs have been written for the birds to sing, and the two boys were harmonizing perfectly.

Travis was gone, so close to climax, panting with every thrust, Sal’s dick pounding his prostate. Travis desperately clawed at Sal’s back, making Sal hiss. However Sal enjoyed the pain. It hurt so good. There were no words that could woe the sound of the two males’ moans. As Travis screamed into the night, Sal moved one of his hands to Travis’ cock, stroking up and down at a fast pace. Travis’ his bucked, his thighs shaking, his toes curling, his nails sinking deeper into Sal’s flesh.

“Fuck, Sal,” Travis’ voice croaked, unable to keep it steady, especially when Sal was running a lubed thumb over the head of his dick, the rest of the blue haired male’s fingers wrapped around Travis’ erect cock. “You’re so good at this, I think I’m about to cum.”

“Good,” Sal’s voice began to betray how desperate he truly was, thrusting faster and faster as the two boys’ hearts beat in a syncopated beat, both boys sweating and panting, Sal moaning and Travis screaming in delight.

Travis’ orgasm was loud, his head reeling back as he let out one final moan, his cum spilling all over himself. Sal shuddered as he also came, groaning as he came inside of the taller boy. Unwrapping his hand from Travis’ cock and collapsing next to him.

“Trav, that was amazing.” Both boys were panting. Travis nuzzled into Sal, wrapping his shaky arms around the shorter male.

“So,” Travis began, chuckling a little bit. “How does it feel knowing you just took my virginity?”

Sal smiled, looking into Travis’ hazel eyes. “Pretty damn satisfying.”

''Was all of this just some elaborate scheme to get into my pants?''

''Yup.''

The two boys laughed together and Sal shyly reached down to hold Travis’ hand. Travis took it, intertwining his fingers with Sal’s.

“I’m gonna break up with Ashley.” Travis let out a sigh of relief. He had honestly forgotten about her, but he was glad that he wouldn’t be a homewrecker any longer. There was no time, no space, just the two boys in post orgasmic heaven.

“I never meant to come between you and her, I didn’t want to be a homewrecker.”

“But you did, and you are.” Sal pecked Travis on the nose, Travis flushing. “And I’m glad you are. Ash and I haven't had sex in months, and I feel differently with you. I feel like this is going to be good.” Almost immediately Sal began to ramble. "Not saying that I was only with her for sex. I really care about her, even if it's no longer romantic. It's just that she started to drift away from me and-"

Sal was cutoff by Travis pressing a finger against his rapidly moving lips. The two boys sat in silence. Travis swallowed his pride for a moment, mustering up the courage to say something, to express what was on his mind.

“Sal,” He began, taking a deep breath. “I really like you. It’s okay If you don’t feel the same or if you want to take it slow, but I’d really like you to be my boyfriend.”

“Take it slow?” Sal laughed and leaned in to kiss Travis again. “I just fucked you until you couldn’t speak. I don't think that's ‘taking it slow’.” Travis laughed along with Sal, pulling the shorter boy into his chest and wrapping his arms around him.

“But I’d like that. If you’re free this weekend I’d love to go on a date with you.”

Travis was grinning like an idiot, letting out a giggle of excitement.

After  Sal threw away his used condom he fell asleep in Travis’ arms as the pair cuddled, but Travis stayed up thinking about his lover.

Lover.

Sal was his lover now.

 


	8. Blueberry Waffles

Travis woke to the smell of blueberry waffles lingering in the air. He sat up in bed, noticing that Sal wasn’t there. He was disappointed for a brief moment before he realized that Sal was probably making breakfast. Travis threw on a bathrobe and dashed downstairs.

There Sal was, wearing his clothes from yesterday, hair a mess, wearing a stained apron, prosthetic to the side to expose his scarred face. To Travis he looked perfect as he cleaned up the mess of flower off the counter. The taller male snuck up on Sal, wrapping his arms around the smaller male, causing him to jump slightly.

“Morning Sally face.” Travis kissed him on the head as Sal placed a hand on Travis’ intertwining their fingers.

“Morning dork.” Sal turned around, wrapping his arms around Travis’ neck and nuzzling into his chest. “Breakfast is ready.”

On the table lay milk, orange juice, whipped cream, strawberries, butter, and blueberry waffles. Travis couldn’t cook for shit so he was very grateful for Sal’s cooking. Sal looked up at the taller male, yawning. “Your ass sore?”

Travis laughed. “Kinda, it’s okay though.”

“Glad it's alright,” Sal stood on his toes to give Travis’ forehead a kiss. “You basically tore my back apart.”

Travis blushed, hiding his face in Sal’s shoulder. “Sorry! But in my defense, the hickey’s you left are way darker than any scratch I could have given you.”

Sal pulled away from Travis’ warm embrace. Travis wasn’t lying about the hickeys. The markson his neck were quite noticeable, red and purple hues dotted Travis’ soft skin.

“Hope you like being marked,” Sal smirked, admiring his work as his fingers trailed over the bruises. Travis winced, neck still tender from the previous night.

“I don't mind having a visual representation of how I’m yours.” Both boys blushed at Travis’ comment.

“Well, as much as I like the sound of that, we should eat, the waffles are gonna get cold.”

And with that, the two boys sat down to eat. Sal sure as hell knew how to cook, the warm waffles making Travis melt like butter that had been left out for too long. After the two boys were stuffed to the brim with food, they moved back to Travis’ room, talking about how they should spend the rest of the weekend.

“Babe Patrol is playing at the Peekskill Brewery, I have a fake ID so we could go there. Five feet apart is playing tonight and tomorrow from 9:45 to 11:30. What do you wanna do?” Sal was reading off ideas from his Chromebook, listing date night options for the pair.

“What’s Babe Patrol?” Travis cocked his head to the side to see over Sal’s shoulder. The smaller boy turned to Travis, mouth wide open.

“You've never heard of Babe Patrol?”

Travis shook his head. “I've never even been to a live show.”

“Okay,” Sal pecked Travis on the nose. “I’m going to take you to your first concert.”

For the rest of the day, the two boys worked on homework. Sal slaving over an ap psychology project, and Travis whizzing through his pre-calc packet. The pair studied for an upcoming Italian test, then after all of their homework was done, the two cuddled until Sal said that he would go home to freshen up, leaving Travis alone to his own devices.

 

Sal stood in front of a full body mirror, twirling as his black, velvet, high waisted skirt flared out at his waist. Fishnets and red crop top going perfectly with the rest of his outfit. Sal wore bright red Doc Martens and had his hair pulled into space buns, red ribbons in his hair. He had red eyeliner on and underneath his prosthetic, a deep purple lipstick with a red ombre towards the center.

It was 9:50 and Sal said that he would pick Travis up at his house around 10. Grabbing a condom and a tiny packet of lube and shoving it in a tiny, black Kanken backpack. Taking one last look at himself before rushing out the door to his car. Placing his bag on his lap, Sal turned the key and revved the engine, pulling out of Addison Apartments’ driveway and speeding over to Travis’ house.

Travis was sitting on his front step, clad in black converse, blue mom jeans, and his classic purple cashmere sweater tucked into his pants that were held up by a thick, black belt. Sal honked the horn, signaling for Travis to hop in. Travis obliged, sprinting to the beat up Subaru and swinging the door open.

Once both boys were ready, Sal turned on his phone, pulling up his Spotify.

“You wanna listen to anything in particular before we get to the bar?”

Travis thought long and hard about a song that Sal would enjoy, finally settling on “Give Her a Name” by Trevor Menear.

The soft picking of the bass filled the car and Travis sang along to the soft voice that came out of the speakers. Travis’ stage voice was much different than his typical singing voice. When not singing Broadway his voice was smoother, had a distinct tone, reminding Sal of a male version of the singer from the bands Florence and The Machines or Daughter. Though Sal made fun of the taller male for listening to alternative indie music, he had an appreciation for it, and he sure as hell had an appreciation for Travis’ unique voice. It was unlike any other, he always tweaked songs to make them his own and he had a quality about his sound that had you craving more.

By the time the pair had gotten to the brewery, Travis had introduced Sal to numerous songs and bands, geeking out over every single one of them. Travis was really passionate about music, going on and on about how he wanted to form a band when he gets older.

“Maybe we could form a band. You and I could sing, I could play the guitar. What'd ya say?”

Travis smiled and nodded. “I actually know how to play the piano and keyboard so it sounds like a plan!”

The two continued to talk about their future band as they made their way to the bar. The pair walked in, hand in hand. Peekskill was a fairly liberal area, having a pride march every year, so the two boys weren’t treated any differently.

Babe Patrol’s live adaptation of their song “Lady Liberty” rang through the air, the drums vibrating the floor, Travis could feel the bass in his chest. He wasn’t used to loud music, but he got used to it pretty quickly. After a few beers, the pair were dancing under the stars on the outside stage, the band rocking out as live bands do.

The dancing turned more physical, Travis’ arms wrapped around Sal’s waist, pulling him in as Sal ground into Travis’ waist. The pair were all over each other, but so were many of the other couples there so they didn’t seem too out of place. Travis grabbed one of Sal’s fishnet-clad thighs and pulled it up to his waist, causing Sal to laugh slightly. The blue haired boy pulled away from Travis, making the taller male whine. Sal just winked underneath his prosthetic and made his way over to the center of the dance floor.

The way he swayed his hips, the way his skirt flared out, the way the fairy lights illuminated his pale skin, the way his hands trailed down his body. The way Sal moved made Travis’ imagination run wild was too for the blonde to handle. Sal dropped to the floor and bounced back up, in a perfect bend and snap, showing off his ass and revealing a bit of his tight, black, lacy underwear. Travis’ heart was thumping, louder than the beat of the drums. The lead singer’s voice got Travis even more excited, adrenaline coursing through his veins. As Sal gyrated his hips, Travis made his way over to Sal with pleading eyes, unsure of what to say.

“You wanna head to the bathroom?” Sal’s eyes twinkled in the moonlight, a hint of lust in them. Travis nodded eagerly and Sal took Travis’ hand, guiding the taller male through the crowd, his hips swaying the entire way to the restroom. Once they got to the bathroom Sal practically shoved Travis into the handicapped stall, slamming the door shut and sliding the latch to lock the door.

Travis knelt before Sal, the way his boyfriend moved made Travis want to treat him right. Sal tossed his prosthetic to the floor, revealing an obnoxious smirk. He looked absolutely stunning, his scarred lips painted purple and red. Travis’ face was mere centimeters away from Sal’s bulge, the shorter male could feel Travis’ warm breath against his dick. Even though it was tempting to let the taller male suck him off, Sal tangled his hands in Travis’ golden hair, yanking him away, causing Travis to moan needily.

“I’m already on my knees, let me worship you.” Travis complaint was met with a chuckle from Sal. He knelt down to get onto Travis’ level, looking up at the taller male, trailing his fingers over Travis’ tan flesh, circling his forefinger over the hickeys from the previous night, making Travis shudder.

“Lay on your back and take off your clothes.” Travis immediately obeyed Sal’s command, lying down as his shaking fingers stripped off all of his clothes, they remained in a pile on the cold tile floor. Sal sat on Travis’ lap, grinding into his hardened dick as he grunted, his hands on Travis’ chest. As Travis watched this, he was absolutely stunned that Sal was full of so much pent up emotions, willing to have sex in a bathroom stall at a bar. Sal’s hips bucked as he moaned, not giving two shits about who heard. The music vibrating the floor and both boys could feel it travel up their spines.

Taking off his backpack and reaching for his condom and lube, Sal pulled down Travis’ underwear and slipped the condom onto his cock, then poured a generous amount of lubricant on his fingers. Slipping one finger in, Sal let out a scream, Travis’ eyes widening, growing painfully hard as he watched Sal’s skirt be stained with precum, his ass dripping with lube. Sal was making the most of freedom and of of pleasure.

Slipping another finger in, Travis scissored his fingers inside of his boyfriend. Sal couldn't help himself from yelping as his middle finger reached his prostate. Travis couldn’t take it anymore, his lip was quivering as he lined his dick up with Sal’s ass as Sal slipped his fingers out of him, groaning as he did so.

Sal’s head jerked back as Travis entered him, screaming his name. Travis yelped when Sal took his entire length in his ass. The taller male reached under Sal’s skirt to wrap his fingers around his boyfriend’s cock. Sal was riding Travis like it was nothing was a sight to behold, both hands above his head, moaning like a porn star.

Sal gyrated his hips against Travis’, yelping every time his cock stimulated his prostate. Travis continued jerking Sal off with one hand while having a firm grasp on the shorter male’s hips with the other, sinking his nails into his Sal’s waist. Travis began shaking, moaning, drooling, he was a mess and it was all Sal’s fault. Travis’ cock was throbbing inside of Sal while Sal’s cock dripped with precum as he bounced up and down on his boyfriend's dick, thighs shaking as his prostate was pounded.

“Sal,” Travis’ voice cracked, wavering from Sal’s movements. “I’m gonna cum. I-”

“No, you’re not.” Sal’s voice was low, his body aching as he commanded Travis. “Just a little while longer.”

Sal continued to thrust as Travis mewled, bucking his hips as Sal continued to stay in control, speeding up his thrusts as he moaned, his voice echoing off the bathroom walls. The thrill of being caught welled up in Travis’ chest and Sal took the taller male deeper and deeper, feeling like Travis’ dick was digging for ore, his prostate pounding with ecstasy.

Sal’s was shaking more and more, his cock throbbing as Travis ran his thumb over the slit of Sal’s dick, his slick fingers stroking the rest of the shorter boy’s length. Sal drank every single sensation in, the sweet nectar on his lips, bird calls escaping from his lungs as he mewled and moaned.

“Sal, I don't know how much longer I can do this, please let me cum.” Travis’ eyes were tearing up, the overstimulation too hard for him to bear.

“Beg for it.” Sal’s hips worked wonder for Travis, Sal was so wet as he bounced up and down.

“Please Sal! Let me cum for you!” And with that Sal came with a shriek, his cum spilling all over Travis’ hand, causing him to cum as well.

Travis lifted Sal to take himself out of his boyfriend and Travis threw his used condom in the small garbage bin next to the toilet. The pair laid there, on the dirty bathroom floor, panting and sweaty from their previous endeavor. Sal turned to Travis and started to laugh, making Travis smile with confusion.

“Dude, we just fucked in the handicapped stall of a bathroom!” Sal was giddy from post-orgasm bliss, nuzzling into his boyfriend while he was still covered in cum. Travis began to giggle as well, pulling Sal close as he covered his forehead with soft kisses. After they almost fell asleep in the bathroom, Travis got his clothes and the pair of boys cleaned each other up with paper towels. Both Sal and Travis were weak in the knees from having sex, but they made their way back out to where the band was playing. It was now 1:35, and the two boys sat at a fairly private bench away from the rest of the people. A waiter came over and took their order. Sal ordered a bloody Mary and french fries while Travis just asked for water.

Because Sal was practically obsessed with Babe Patrol, he knew all of their songs, singing along to every lyric. After eating and having their drinks, the pair made their way back to the dance floor.  Jumping up and down, holding hands, this dance wasn’t sexual in nature. It was soft, sweet. Just two lovers enjoying each others presence. Just two boys dancing the night away.

Around two in the morning, Sal and Travis were slow dancing to punk music, the bass thumping as they moved their feet. Sal’s arms were wrapped around Travis’ neck, and Travis held Sal by the waist, pulling him close and worshiping him. They stayed like this, bathing in one another until the set was done. Travis and Sal made their way to the smaller male’s car and made their way home, giggling and joking the entire way.

Once they arrived home they passed out on the couch, still in their clothes. Two young lovers tangled in each other's limbs, Sal spooning Travis as the smaller male nuzzled into his boyfriend’s back. They fell asleep, not to the beat of a drum, but to the beat of their hearts.


	9. Pumpkin

Around 1:20 in the afternoon Travis woke up with Sal’s arms still wrapped around him, the smaller male drooling on Travis’ back. Sal was still asleep, so Travis did his best to sneak out of Sal’s loose grip without disturbing his sleeping beauty. 

Finally, Travis got off of the couch and yawned, still exhausted from the night before. He made his way over to the kitchen to pour himself a bowl of cereal and turned on the TV to pull up youtube. He quietly played his “Good morning” playlist to wake himself up whilst not disturbing Sal. Dancing around the living room with his bowl of cereal in hand, he shoved cereal into his face while humming “California Friends” by The Regrets. After the song was over Travis put his empty bowl in the dishwasher, turned off the music and walked back over to the sleeping Sal, pulling a blanket over him and kissing his boyfriend on the cheek before making his way upstairs to continue his homework. 

A half an hour later Sal groggily came up the stairs, still in his skirt from yesterday, shirt on backward and fishnets around his ankles. 

Travis chuckled at the sight of his painfully adorable boyfriend, walking over to him and wrapping his arms around the groggy male. 

“Morning pumpkin.” That nickname for Travis made him melt, the taller male felt weak in the knees every time Sal used his pet name.

“Good morning yourself, you were out for a while. You alright?”

Sal nodded, rubbing one of his eyes. “I’m sore all over thanks to you.”

“You’re sore?” Travis laughed, ruffling Sal’s hair. “You were sitting on my dick while I was on the stiff bathroom floor! My back hurts like hell!”

The two boys continued to tease each other and moved to Travis’ bed to snuggle underneath the covers. Sal wrapped his legs around Travis protectively, nuzzling into his chest as Travis held the smaller boy in his arms. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, peaceful and content with spending time with each other, even if it was in silence.

Travis looked over towards his analog clock on his bedside dresser and swore underneath his breath. 

“Dude we have to be at the school by 3:15, we're gonna be late.”

The two boys scrambled out of bed and changed into clean clothes, Sal borrowing a pair of sweatpants that were too small on Travis and a plain, muted red t-shirt that was way too big on him. Sal grabbed his prosthetic from the couch downstairs and the pair ran out of the house and hopped into Travis’ car, driving to their high school slightly faster than they should have. They got there right on the dot, running through the parking lot and swinging open the front door to the school, sprinting past the front desk to get to the auditorium. 

Ash walked towards the two males, smiling at Travis and going to kiss Sal on the cheek. Travis tensed up, eyebrows furrowing as he tried not to look too uncomfortable. Sal stepped back from Ash, giving her a sympathetic smile. 

“Hey Ashley, we’ve gotta talk. Can we go outside for a sec?” Ash looked confused but nodded anyway. She followed Sal out of the auditorium and Travis stood there, watching until the pair was gone. 

Travis jumped as Todd tapped him on the shoulder, not looking amused. His arms were crossed and he was glaring at Travis. “Travis, can you come backstage with me? I have something I need to ask you.” Travis nodded as he followed the redhead through the rows of seats and slipped through the curtains that separated the stage from the chorus room and the dressing rooms. Todd guided Travis to his dressing room and closed the door, leaning against it and crossing his arms. 

“I know about you and Sal. And you better wear a scarf, your hickeys are showing.” Travis’ face flushed bright red, his hand reaching up to cover his neck. Travis just continued lacing into Travis, walking towards him, an accusatory finger pointing right at Travis. “While you two were doing god knows what in the closet, I had to cover you and Sal’s asses so Ash didn’t find out. This would kill her if she found out.”

Travis swallowed hard, breaking into a cold sweat. “Who else knows?”

“Literally everyone! There’s always drama in the drama club, but this is seriously too much. Now I told Sal that he had to break up with Ash if he was going to continue seeing you.” Todd was now 12 inches away from Travis’ face, his finger on the taller boy’s chest. “You better walk the straight and narrow, because if you hurt another one of my friends you’re dead meat.” And with that, Todd whipped around and exited the room, slamming the door on his way out. Travis just stood there, his chin quivering. He hadn’t even realized that he was holding his breath until his lungs started to burn.

Exhaling, he left the room, silently making his way back to his seat where Sal was waiting for Travis, looking down in shame. Travis looked towards the balcony of the theater where he saw a sobbing Ashley, surrounded by her friends as they comforted her. He made eye contact with Todd, who must have ran up there to comfort her. The redhead adjusted his glasses as he glared at Travis, his gaze feeling like a heated knife, cutting and blistering Travis’ flesh.

 

Mrs. Pakerton screamed at Ash and Travis for the entirety of the rehearsal, making them go through scenes numerous times until she just gave up. The cast couldn’t go home until 11:45, and the crew had to stay after 12:30. Travis waited for Sal in his car, listening to his “Happy Songs For Sad Days Playlist”. 

“Hard Times” by Paramore began to play as soon as Sal entered the car, slouching into the passenger's seat. However in about 30 seconds into the song, both males were bopping out to the song, both knowing every single lyric by heart. 

After the second verse, Travis turned to Sal, a huge grin on his face. “Dude! We should totally cover this song!”Sal nodded eagerly, continuing to shake his head side to side to the beat of the song, his pigtails swinging wildly. 

Uplifting song after uplifting song blasted through the speakers until the two boys arrived home. Sal and Travis raced down the stone pathway into the house, laughing the entire way. Because of Travis’ long legs, he was able to make it to the front door quicker. Travis turned the key in the lock and the two boys made their way into the house, joking the entire way until they made their way to the living room, Sal flopping on the couch and Travis sitting right next to him. Turning on the TV and pulling up youtube, Travis turned on an iconic vine compilation and the two boys watched vines until the sun came up, passing out in the golden light of the break of dawn.


	10. Just Trying To Cope

Travis ended up being late to school, he and Sal arrived around 11:30, getting scolded by Mrs. Packerton for being late. Most of the choir students were also in the play, so the two men got smirks, whistles, and giggles, most of them knew what was up.

“Alright, were at the solo part of somebody to love. Open up to page three, Sal and Ash, you’re up.” Everybody fell dead silent. Word had gotten around pretty swiftly that the two were no longer together. If you want a rumor to spread fast, leave it to the theater kids to spread it. 

Ash cleared her voice as Sal lifted his prosthetic so his voice wouldn’t be muffled, and the choir began to sing. Sal’s voice filled the room. He was a bass, so his voice was deeper than the ocean, smoother than creamy dark chocolate. 

When Ash came in to sing the female solo, she seemed so melancholy as she sang, her voice perfectly portraying loneliness and heartbreak. Travis felt his stomach drop, guilt washing over him as Ash sang. 

When Sal and Ashley harmonized towards the end of their solo, the raw emotion in their voices was overwhelming. Sal’s full of guilt and Ash’s full of regret. As she sang tears began to roll down her face, yet her voice never wavered. Never cracked. Sal glanced towards her, his voice betraying how bad he felt. Travis had to look away, but his ears forced him to listen to their saddening solo. This was his criminal sentence. This was torture. This was his own personal hell.

After choir Ash pulled Travis aside. 

“Hey Trav, long time no see.”

“Yeah.” Travis sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while Ash graciously smiled, she made him feel even more like shit. If Ash wasn’t so nice maybe Travis wouldn’t feel as bad.

“Can you do me a huge favor and meet me on the balcony before play rehearsal begins? Around 2:30 ish?”

Ash’s face was still glistening with leftover tears. Travis swallowed hard, the lump in his throat preventing him from saying anything. Travis nodded and Ash held up her hand to give him a high five. She was so cool, Travis wished that he could be like her one day, being able to control his anger was something Travis always struggled with. 

 

Travis made his way up the stairs to the balcony seating, Ash was sitting in the first row, her chocolaty hair in her face. She still managed to look graceful, even with her messy hair. Travis sat down next to her, but she didn’t turn to look at him, she just looked down at the rest of the cast as they ate and chilled before rehearsal began. 

“I just want to start by saying thank you.”

Travis was taken off guard, he had expected Ash to lace into him. Not thank him for being the cause of her boyfriend's infidelity. 

“You were able to give Sal things that I couldn’t give him.” Travis’ throat tightened as she looked at him, her brown eyes creasing as she smiled. Her smile was full of pain, but it was genuine. If saints were real, Ashley Campbell was definitely one of them. “I love him more than anything, and I just want him to be happy. I’m sorry I got emotional during chorus, but I’m glad. He and I have been having problems for the past two months and I desperately needed to hold onto something. He was the last bit of control I had over my life. But the way you two look at each other. Well,” She choked on her words, beginning to tear up. “He clearly cares about you.” She began to cry again, but she was also laughing, black pools of melancholy looking back out at Travis. She reached out to hug him, shaking as she sobbed into his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

 

“And she thanked me.” Travis and Sal drove back to his house, lo-fi playing in the background. 

“Really? Wow, god she’s such a kind soul.” Sal’s face was in his hands, his heart practically broke in two for Ash. “I should have broken up with her sooner and not cheated on her like this.” He looked up at Travis as he took off his prosthetic and placed it on his lap. The rest of the ride home was silent aside from the calming bass and synthesizers from Travis’ iPod. 

Once Travis pulled into the driveway the two boys silently walked into the house and made their way up the creaky stairs to Travis’ room. Sal sat on his boyfriend’s bed while  Travis layed on the floor, both emotionally spent from rehearsal and the guilt of breaking Ash’s heart.

“Wanna listen to my playlist full of angsty indie music?” 

“Jesus Travis, do you have a playlist for everything?” Travis nodded as he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, turning on his playlist. 

Sleeping At Last’s “Earth” filled the air, the soft voice of Ryan O’Neal almost instantaneously calmed Travis’ nerves.

“‘Fault lines,’” Travis’ voice was clearly inspired by Ryan’s, both tenors that have soft voices, both with a hint of raspiness. “Tremble underneath our,”

“‘Glass house.’” Sal knew the song as well, his lower voice harmonizing with Travis’ as he joined. “‘Long enough to call it courage,’” Travis turned to his boyfriend, smiling as they made eye contact. “‘But I put it out of my mind’”. Sal made his way onto the floor, resting his head in Travis’ lap. “‘To live without a lifeline.’” Travis played with Sal’s hair, pulling twin pigtails out of their ties and beginning to braid the blue strands. “‘I bend the definition of faith to exonerate my blind eye.”

The two boys belted the song until they were blue in the face, tidal waves of emotion rolling out of their mouths, "'Til the sirens sound, I'm safe.’" The lyrics cut deep. This was how they healed. This is how they took shelter. Music was, and will always be the best coping mechanism for the two boys.          


	11. How Dare The Sun Rise

Friday rolled around sooner than later and Travis’ father came back from his little vacation. With his arrival there were no more sleepovers with Sal, no more seeing him after school. Doing so was far too risky. Travis had completely forgotten that he was supposed to be in charge of Sunday school for his father's church, he got reamed for not giving his lesson.

The thing about Travis’ father was that he was manipulative. He had a way of seeming like a loving, accepting father. But behind closed doors, his sermons were full of hate speech, and inside of the Phelps household there were sticks of dynamite surrounded by gasoline; the smallest match could blow the entirety of the glass house to shards. 

You see, Travis’ father was not only a homophobic preacher but also an alcoholic. And when he got drunk he was sour company. He would swear, hit, take all of his anger out on his only son since Travis’ mom left. 

Unlike his father, Travis and his mom were very close. They used to pretend that they were pirates, and the large quartz rock in their front yard was their ship. Travis’ mother taught him how to garden, and heavily influenced the music he listened to. She was the definition of an angel, but her wings were broken from all of the beatings she had to endure from her husband. 

Travis remembered the night she left vividly. Travis’ mother had him go upstairs and hide in his closet while she endured beating after beating. After the noise and sounds of screams and breaking glass subsided, Travis’ mother came upstairs, her face swollen and eye bleeding. She held her son as they both cried. They stayed like that for hours until Travis’ mother unclasped the golden cross around her neck and put it in Travis’ hand. 

She then left. 

Travis never saw her again.

                                

It was tec week; also known as hell week. The kids were staying till one in the morning perfecting every last scene, perfecting every last song. Meghan was crying more frequently, and everybody in the cast was agitated because of sleep deprivation. Larry’s dude-bro vernacular was getting on Travis’ nerves way more than it should have, and Ash was desperately trying to keep everybody in a positive headspace. 

During whipped into shape Travis tripped while carrying the table and one of the legs snapped off, making stage crew pissed that they had to re-nail the leg in. There was a thief on the loose so many props were going missing, Sal had $20 stolen from him, meaning that he couldn’t treat Travis to coffee like he had promised, and Ash’s favorite pair of sneakers had been snatched. This made it hard for people to trust one another. Along with the sleep deprivation, Travis’ grades were slipping, he had 80s and 70s in all of his classes except for science which he was failing with a 55. He was terrified of what his father would do to him. If Travis didn’t have 90s in all of his father would kill him. 

Rehearsal let out fairly early, at 11:47, but Travis’ father would expect him home by 1. By that time his father would be well asleep, so Sal invited Travis to stay the night at his place.

As Travis’ car pulled into the driveway of Addison Apartments, his stomach dropped. The building was old, aside from the lights from peoples rooms, the place looked like it was abandoned. It was in a rough part of town and the brick walls were cracked, vines growing up the side of the building. 

Not only did it look sketchy, when the two boys entered the building, Travis felt his stomach drop. There was something dark and sinister about the atmosphere that Travis couldn't quite put his finger on. 

Sal slipped his key card into a slot right next to the elevator and the pair stepped in. Once the doors were shut, Sal shoved Travis against the wall, a hand traveling up the taller males shirt, softly caressing the soft, tanned flesh on Travis’ stomach. Travis’ knees began to shake, he could barely hold himself up. Sal took off his prosthetic and pressed his lips against Travis’, biting the blonde’s bottom lip, earning a gasp from Travis. Sal placed one of his legs in between Travis’ to hold him up. The taller male began to grind himself against Sal’s leg, resulting in Sal moaning. 

The two were beginning to get very into what they were doing, but as the doors opened Megan was standing there, trying her best not to laugh. Travis covered his blushing face as Sal stepped back, flushed red as well. 

“I mean, everyone knows you two are fucking, but damn! You seriously can't keep your hands to yourself!” The two boys were sheepish about getting caught while Megan seemed unphased. 

“Okay,” Travis tried his best to act like he wasn’t as embarrassed as he really was. “First of all, you’re a freshman, you can’t talk like that. Second, what do you mean ‘everyone knows’?” 

Megan tucked a strand of purple hair behind her ear, revealing an eye with dark circles underneath from sleep deprivation and malnourishment. “Don’t talk to me like I’m naive, I may be younger than you, but I’m fifteen, not eight. And to answer your question, theater kids talk. It’s really obvious anyway. The way you look at each other,” She turned to Sal. “The fact that Travis is always covered in hickeys whenever you two come from backstage.” Travis’ face flushed even deeper.

“Anywho, I won’t hold you two any longer. Go have fun!” Megan walked into the elevator and slapped Travis on the ass, smirking at Sal. “Be careful with him, alright?”

And with that, the two boys made their walk of shame to Sal’s apartment.

“When she was younger she used to be so sweet and innocent,” Sal laughed while opening the door, letting Travis inside and tossing his prosthetic to the floor. “What happened?” 

As Sal joked, Travis looked around the apartment. The beige paint on the walls was peeling, revealing old wood that did not look up to date. Travis didn’t have much time to inspect the ratty, ran down apartment before Sal shoved him on to a well-loved couch, one palm on Travis’ chest and the other wrapped around his throat. Travis’ breath hitched as Sal slid his tongue into his boyfriend’s open mouth, catching the taller male off guard. 

Whimpering, Travis brought his hand up to one of Sal’s pigtails, tugging as he tried to grip for stability. Sal slithered the hand that was placed firmly on Travis’ chest, all the way to his crotch, giving his boyfriend’s growing erection a slight squeeze as his lips trailed down to his neck, gently nipping at the soft flesh on his collar bone.

“God- Sal!” Travis tried to speak but he kept getting cut off by Sal’s hand gripping his dick, the smaller male was thumbing Travis through his pants, causing precum to leak through his jeans. “I need you to fuck me!”

Sal pulled up to make eye contact with his boyfriend, a smirk making its way onto his scarred lips. “Not yet, I've barely even started. Now sit up and take off your pants.”

Travis obeyed and stripped his pants and boxers to the side, leaving them in a pile on the hardwood floor. Travis was fully exposed now. He flushed in embarrassment as he tried to cover his erection with his hands. Sal gripped Travis’ thighs and forced them apart, causing Travis to yelp. Sal’s face was centimeters away from his boyfriend’s cock, his warm breath teasing the flush side of the member. Travis closed his eyes and brought a hand up to his mouth to cover it, knowing that the decaying walls of the old apartment building were most likely not soundproof. 

Suddenly, Travis felt warmth surround his cock. Sal’s lips slowly wrapped their way around Travis, the smaller boy’s tongue working wonders.  Sal gave several kitten licks before giving a soft suck to the head. Immediately, he felt Travis’ hand come up to grip his pigtails while letting out a soft whimper. Travis used Sal’s hair as reigns while Sal gripped onto Travis’ hips like handlebars.  

Sal began to move against him.

It was all overwhelming. It was all too fast. It was all too surreal. 

Sal was never good at multitasking, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his fingers around his own erection to jerk himself off while he gave his boyfriend head. Travis’ whines and Sal’s moans perfectly harmonized in a symphony of pleasure, both boys fully indulging themselves in the sound of their duet.

The smaller boy’s head was bobbing up and down how, humming as he moved, sending vibrations up Travis’ dick and all the way through his spine while Sal’s tongue lapped at the soft underside of Travis’ cock. Travis begged for Sal to go faster, but just to be a tease, Sal moved slower. Travis’ thighs began to shake,  every so often he could hear Sal give off a deep groan as Travis pressed further. 

Sal deepthroated Travis’ cock while having a tight grip on his boyfriend’s ass, moaning while he did so. Travis tried desperately to be cautious not to gag Sal, but after a little while of Sal’s tongue playing with the base of his cock, Travis just couldn’t take it anymore. Travis began to rapidly pump his hips up. This caused Sally to give out a very auditable gasp. Travis sunk his fingers into Sal’s silky blue hair and roughly thrusted into Sal’s mouth, causing the smaller male’s eyes to tear up. 

Instead of continuing to suck his boyfriend's painfully hard cock, Sal pulled away, saliva and precum dripping from his mouth.

“W-why’d you stop?” Travis was shaking, his fingers still intertwined in Sal’s hair.

Sal just smirked, wiping his mouth as he stood up.

“We're moving to the bedroom.” Sal’s voice was hoarse from deepthroating Travis, it did something for the taller male, turning him on even more. Both males scurried to the bedroom, stripping and tossing their clothes aside. Sal made his way onto the bed, rolling on a condom and slicking his dick in lube. Travis sat on top of Sal, carefully lowering himself but making sure that Sal wasn't inside of him yet. Travis ground himself against Sal’s cock, his own cock painfully erect. The world was spinning. The only variable that was unchanging was the feel of Sal’s hard-on against his ass. Sal’s hands traced Travis’ body, trailing from thighs, to hips, to waist, to upper back, to shoulders, to chest, to stomach, to waist, to hips, and back down to his thighs. As if he was trying to study every crevice, every curve, every inch of flesh. Sal needed it to be burned into his memory.

Abruptly, Sal grabbed Travis by the shoulders and pinned him to the tattered mattress. Sal was now on top, look pleased with himself.

“Is this okay?” 

Travis nodded, he was panting and his entire face and tanned chest were now flushed red. “Stop wasting time, please just fuck me already.”

With that, Sal took one finger and inserted it inside of Travis, probing at his prostate. The taller male yelped as he sunk his nails into Sal’s back. Sal inserted another finger and began to scissor Travis’ tight hole, causing his hips to buck.

After what seemed like years of torturous anticipation, Sal finally took out his fingers and slipped his cock into Travis’ quivering ass. Travis wrapped his legs around Sal, pulling him closer and causing Sal’s dick to plunge further into him. Sal began to thrust, his tempo alternated from slow and steady, to faster paced. 

Travis’ eyes rolled into the hollows of his eyelids as the corners of his open mouth formed a smile. Sal felt so good inside of him. As his boyfriend was a melting mess on the bed, Sal continued to slam against Travis’ prostate, breathing heavily as he did so. 

Travis reached his hand down to his cock and began to stroke it in  slow, languid movements. Travis’ legs were shaking even more as he began to thumb at the tip of his cock, precum leaking out of him as Sal’s thrusts became deeper. Travis’ hand began to move faster, his  strokes more desperate as he came close to his climax.

Sal was enjoying the view a little too much, he couldn't help the soft whine that escaped him as he watched Travis’ bare body arch up off the mattress into his jerking hand. Electricity surged through both of them as the smaller male began to shake, practically vibrating inside of Travis, causing him to moan and his head to jerk backwards. 

Without warning Travis began to cum, his thighs tightening around Sal as he reached his peak. Sal’s eyes screwed shut as he couldn’t take it anymore. He gave a few more desperate thrusts before slipping himself out of Travis, cumming as well. 

Sal collapsed on top of Travis, kissing his boyfriend’s chin, tracing circles into Travis’ dark skin with one hand and playing with his boyfriend’s blonde hair.

Travis wrapped his arms and legs around the smaller male, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, smiling as he was grateful for his Sal’s presence. He was grateful for that and Sal’s dick.

“This is weird.” 

Sal looked up at Travis, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“How?”

Travis looked down to his boyfriend, looking into his beautiful blue eyes as moonlight from the window illuminated them. 

“I’m scared because you're showing me love.”

Sal gave a pitiful smile, pecking Travis on the lips. Travis just continues to ramble. 

“I mean, do you know how fucked I am? I still have thoughts that this is wrong; that _ I _ am wrong for lying with you.” Travis looked at the ceiling, unable to make eye contact with Sal as he began to tear up. “I’m a faggot and- and I’m so angry. Angry at the fact that I am so conflicted. The voice in the back of my head that is telling me that you could never truly care for a queer like me.” Travis was crying now, Sal just held him, his heart on Travis’ heaving chest. “I have these doubts, and if my father finds out were both better off dead.”

Travis’ heart had an ocean in the way. And he would indeed a hard soul to save, but Sal would get around it.

“Travis, it's okay to be scared, and if you need space from me let me know. But if you’re happy with me, why does it matter what that voice in your head tells you? Because you’re not a faggot. You’re conflicted, sure. But underneath that thick skin of yours, you are kind, and smart, and beautiful. Your beauty comes from the inside but shines out as well.” Sal looked up at Travis, who was now looking down at him, smiling while tears still flowed down his face. “I want you me out into little stars, so when you look into the night sky, you will see me. As long as you let me, I will always be by your side. Okay pumpkin?” 

Travis nodded, squeezing Sal as the smaller boy nuzzled into Travis’ chest. “God, you’re just so precious, I don't know what I’d do without you.”

Right before Travis drifted off, he turned to Sal’s clock. It was a little after 2 in the morning. Travis swore under his breath.

“Hey Sally face, you gotta get off of me. I have to go.” Sal just groaned and tightened his grip on Travis, shaking his head.

“Please? My dad's gonna kill me if I don't wake up at home.” Sal frowned at Travis but let him go, burrowing under the blankets. Travis gathered his clothes that were scattered in multiple rooms, and then went back to Sal’s room to say goodnight. Sal was already fast asleep and snoring. Because he was lacking a nose, the shorter male’s snores were amplified, but Travis just found it to be adorable. He tucked Sal in and kissed him on the forehead, whispering his goodbyes before he left. Travis didn't want to leave on such a night but he had no choice. 


	12. Spoiler Alert, The End is Misleading

Travis got to his house around 2:20, he was able to quietly sneak in without being detected by his father who was passed out on the couch surrounded by beer cans. The television was still on, playing some sort of detective show on BBC.

Travis snuck upstairs, making sure to walk close to the wall so the old birch stairs didn’t creak. Once he got upstairs he took a quick shower, the feel of conditioner in his hair and soap suds running down his body calmed him.

Travis always smelled like cherry blossoms due to a body wash that he bought at Bath and Bodyworks. He had bottles stocked up in the bathroom closet because he never knew the next time he could take a trip to the mall, especially since his father didn’t like when Travis drove far away from town.

After his shower, Travis made his way to his room, tossing his dirty clothes and towel n the hamper and changed into a fresh pair of boxers and a plain black t-shirt and immediately fell asleep once his head hit the pillow.

 

Tuesday was stressful, Travis had two pop quizzes and one spontaneous essay in his advanced social studies class, giving him only 40 minutes to write 1000 words about ancient Rome’s impact on medieval architecture.

Play rehearsal wasn’t a walk in the park either. Travis missed multiple ques and Ash still wasn’t off book, making her very anxious. She felt as if she wasn’t doing a good enough job, however, Travis wished that she could see all of the improvement that she had made since the beginning.

Larry came to school high, again. Somehow this made his performance even better than usual, even though backstage he would touch the sike and talk about the oddest things, pissing off the stage crew. He even took a broom and started to sweep one of the chairs. Sal was in the corner trying not to laugh at Larry as he spazzed out. Larry only seemed happy when he was high, which was kind of sad to think about.

People in the cast were coming down with the “theater plague”. The theater plague was typically a cold that spread throughout a cast right before a show. Because everyone was so close in proximity, and peoples bodies were so exhausted from the demanding practices every night, the plague was able to spread quickly. Many cast members were losing their voices, stressing everybody out.

During Legally Blonde Remix, Ash accidentally bumped into Niel, causing him to fall off the stage and land on one of the band members in the pit. Both were okay, but Niel had a limp for the rest of the day. The opening night was only three days away and the cast was a total wreck. But they’d be able to pull it together, they always managed to do so.

After rehearsal finally ended at 1, Sal asked Travis if he wanted to stay the night. Travis had to decline, saying he had too much homework he missed out on to sleep over. Sal understood even though he was disappointed.

The two boys walked out to the parking lot together. Right before they parted Sal stood on his toes to peck his boyfriend causing his boyfriend to flush red.

“See you later.” Sal said with a wink and watched Travis turn around and walk away. Sal caught him looking over his shoulder at to lake one last look at his boyfriend. It made Sal smile, but it made Travis blush hard and walk faster. Sal looked so pretty in the moonlight, Travis smiled at the ground, cupping his warmed face in his hands as he walked to his car.

 

Wednesday wasn’t much easier than the day prior. And Thursday, the day of the dress rehearsal, was literally hell. Travis could have sworn he was going to break a limb from all the dancing. Ash was dancing in her character shoes and fell over, giving her a nasty looking bruise on her leg. She began to freak out about it showing when she was in her playboy bunny costume, but Sal was able to cover it up with an ass load of foundation and concealer.

Mrs. Packerton was snapping at everyone because, according to her, “this entire goddamn cast is incompetent”. She eventually got so fed up with the cast that she let them go on an entire hour break, saying that she would restart the dress rehearsal at 9 when they got back.

Travis, Sal, Ashley, Todd, and Neil made their way to Dunkin’ Donuts, running across the street as they tried not to get hit by cars speeding on by. Once they got to their destination there was no one in the shop except for Robbert, looking very disgruntled in his uniform.

“Welcome to Dunkin’, what can I get for you today?” His red hair was a mess as his voice reflected the emptiness in his black eyes, looking hollow as dark circles underneath them seemed to highlight the dark cloud that loomed over him, seemingly casting a shadow over the space near him.

Ashley ordered a black coffee and a glazed blueberry, Todd and Neil got a large frozen chocolate to share, Larry ordered seven Boston creme donuts and strawberry milk, Travis ordered black tea with milk along with a croissant, and Sal ordered a french vanilla coffee, however Sal added so much sugar and cream that it barely even qualified as such.

The six grabbed a large circular table, the couples sitting on opposite sides while Larry sat next to Sal and Ash plopped herself down next to Travis.

“Okay,” Ash started, reapplying a layer of vanilla-mint lip gloss as she tried not to laugh. “Larry, are you stoned again?”

Larry licked one of his donuts, frosting sticking to the hairs on his chin.

“Maybe.”

Todd slipped Ash a five dollar bill as she pumped her fist in the air. “I knew it! Cause you’re smiling and you never smile when you're sober!”

“You were also intensely staring at the wall during social studies.” Neil laughed as he recalled some stories of Larry trying his best not to be caught being stoned at school.

“It's okay Lar, we still love you.” Sal ruffled Larry’s hair as he slipped his prosthetic up to take a drink of his coffee. “No hetero though.”

Larry just responded with finger guns and a smirk. “It’s not incest if you say ‘no chromo’.”

“Oh! I have something to add to this conversation!” Todd raised his hand like he was still in school. “So the other day I found coke in the bathroom.”

Ash choked on her drink, laughing both at Todd’s unexpected coke discovery story and the black coffee that was dripping from both her nose and her mouth.

“So sexy Ash!” Larry sarcastically joked as he handed her a napkin. “So Todd, what’d you do with the coke?”

Todd tucked a strand of red, curly hair behind his ear and adjusted his circular glasses. “I gave it to one of the security guards, but like, I don't know. I just didn’t expect to find it in the bathroom of all places.”

Larry jokingly acted disappointed, doing his best impression of a flamboyant thug. “Awe, you should have sold that powdered sugar! You would have gotten mad cash!”

Neil turned to Larry, sipping his drink. “You say in your white ghetto accent.”

“Oh, Niel,” Todd turned back to his boyfriend who was holding his hand on top of the table. “Last night when I texted you about going out to see a movie you literally responded with ‘bet’. Like what the fuck?”

The entire table laughed at the absurdity of the couple's quarrel that was about to go down. Except for Travis.

Travis felt out of place with Sal’s friends. They were all so close, yet he used to be the antagonist in their story when they were all younger. Even now, as they were all acting civil, there was still obvious tension with the fact that Travis got in the way of Sal and Ashley’s relationship. Barely any time had passed since their breakup and it felt as if Travis had arrived at a house party too early. Maybe he should have never gone to the party at all. Travis wanted nothing more than to find a group or a clique, but talking to people could be so hard. Maybe it was his defensive nature and seemingly hostile outer shell scared away newcomers. Or maybe it was the fact that Travis had a hard time bonding with people in general. It wasn't that Travis couldn’t talk to people, it's just that he forgot how to do so.

“Yo Trav, you cool man?” Sal poked Travis’ cheek, looking up at him. Sal’s blue eyes behind his prosthetic twinkled with the starlight that glimmered through the window.

Travis nodded and forced a smile.

“Yeah, you okay?”

Sal nodded and placed his hand on Travis’ knee underneath the table. The small gesture made Travis blush as he tried to avoid making eye contact with his boyfriend.

“So then she was doing that weird squeal - crying - not crying thing when they both died at the end and she honestly sounded like she was the one dying.” Ash continued the story she was telling when Travis zoned out, getting very into it, hand gestures and all.

“Whoa! Spoilers!” Larry looked genuinely upset that Ash didn’t give a warning. Todd and Neil just sipped their frozen chocolate through their straws like couples do while watching the whole thing go down.

Ash crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “Okay, if you haven’t seen the notebook by now, honestly you're too late and you're never going to watch it.”

Larry pouted and sank in his chair while Neil began to giggle.

“The notebook is actually my favorite film,” Neil spoke between laughs. “Todd and I watched together on our first date.”

“What, are ya fuckin’ gay?” Sal’s prosthetic that blocked his emotion out made Neil laugh even harder.

Larry interjected, crossing his arms as if he had a new burst of confidence. “I'm gay but I'm not a homosexual.” Being high would sometimes cause Larry to just spurt out random sentences that didn’t necessarily make sense to anyone who was sober, but this didn’t stop Neil from almost falling out of his chair from laughing so hard.

Ash turned to Sal and Travis, both who had never done theater or tec years prior. “Welcome to the theater program, here you will meet the gayest straight people on earth!” Travis laughed a little bit, but then covered his mouth as if he wasn't supposed to laugh at Ash’s joke.

Before the six kids knew it, an hour had passed and it was time for them to go back to rehearsal. The group walked all the way back to the high school, continuing their odd conversation which went on a tangent from pirates, to flowers, to anal beads. When they got back, Mrs. Packerton had calmed down and the first act started up again.

Between scenes, there was your typical backstage banter where inside jokes were spawned, and the scenes that Travis were in did okay enough. There were a few bumps in the road, but nothing that a dress rehearsal couldn’t fix. After the finale, Mrs. Packerton had many notes. Most just about the lighting and sound, but some notes were given about the ensemble numbers and the fact that more people off stage needed to sing whipped into shape. Aside from her knit picks, the show was running smoothly and would definitely be ready for opening night.

After the show, Travis wouldn’t have any more late night rehearsals or stressors of the play.

After the show, everything would go back to normal.


	13. The Day Is Far Behind You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mom found my fic and called it an atrocity. I told her that since she's an English major, she should appreciate the fact that I'm writing porn instead of watching it.

It was opening night and Travis had knots in his stomach. There were almost one thousand people in the auditorium, and the fact that he had never done anything like this before made everything so new and terrifying.

All of a sudden he was flooded by his mother’s voice. Singing him lullabies and telling him everything would be okay. Just like she always used to. She cupped his face and looked him right in the eyes. He felt her warm hands on his cheeks. As his father made her give up her dream of being a singer to become a housewife. Travis’ mom always sang him lullabies, that was the closest she ever got to her dream. She was never able to become a performer. It takes a little patience, takes a little time. A little perseverance and a little uphill climb. It takes all of this to put together a play. And he dedicated all of that hard work to her.

Her memory comforted him, reminded him that even though she could be halfway across the world, the necklace that she gave him right before she left reminded Travis that a part of her was always with him. A part of her would protect him and comfort him. This performance was for his mother. His best friend. The woman who had protected him from birth to the day she left.

As “What You Want 2” came to an end Travis adjusted the collar of his oversized corduroy jacket and tightened his fingers around the clipboard in his left hand. The lights went out and the set changed from white pillars and a table, to a large, hickory bench and the iron-barred gates of Harvard law.

Todd, Megan, and Neil sat down on the bench as the ensemble pretended to conversate in the background. Travis shook his cast members’ hands like he had done a thousand times in rehearsal and walked over to the side of the bench. As Travis began to recite his lines, the knots in his stomach untied themselves. His voice rang through the speakers of the auditorium with every spoken word. And as the final musical monologue was finished, Ash entered the stage with the tiny puppy in her arms that played Bruiser.

She looked absolutely stunning in her pink, velvet, cocktail dress. The hem of the dress skirt dangled at her mid-thigh and the spaghetti straps on her shoulders helped to show off her toned upper body. The pink, Jessica Simpson stilettos she wore clicked against the stage floor and the pink Harvard baseball cap she sported seemed to pull the entire outfit together, along with her pink hoop earrings. Even though it was a little too much of one color for Travis to fall in love with the outfit, Ashley looked stunning. He began to understand why most of the kids in their school was head over heels for her. Her perfect build, goth girlfriend aesthetic, and gentle yet badass attitude. Travis didn’t need to know Ash like he knew his own mind to know that you would never find anyone as trusting or as kind. She was all of this baked into a beautiful pie, and Travis began to understand why very few people could resist her.

Except for Sal. Sal chose Travis over her. And even though Travis was ashamed to be a homewrecker, he couldn’t help but smile. For the fact that he was enough for Sal made his heart flutter. For the first time in forever, Travis had no doubts about Sal and his feelings associated with the boy.

Blood in the water was amazing as per usual. Though Larry was high, this was one of his best performances yet. His raspy voice and incredible range was so unique. Watching him act was addicting. As he walked around the stage and interacted with characters, he seemed at home. He truly seemed to live for this.

 

During intermission when everyone was backstage getting ready for their next scene, Travis got a drunk text from his father. It was something about how he didn’t raise Travis to be a disappointment, but here they were. Travis typically didn’t let these kinds of things bother him. After all, his father never had anything nice to say. However the cocktail of adrenalin and stage fright made him break down. He backed up until his back hit a wall, covering his mouth as tears rolled down his cheeks, his chin quivering as his phone slipped out of his fingertips.

He was crystalized, all of the trauma he had to endure came rushing back to him. All of the phantom hands, the slaps and punches and shoves. He could feel them all over. He could hear his father’s screams and hear tables breaking. He was crystalized. He was traumatized.

Ever since he was a child, Travis would try his hardest not to remember the things his father would do to him. He didn’t want to have to re-see what he had seen, but his PTSD was drowning him.

What he wanted was Sal. Or his mother to hold him and whisper sweet nothings into his ear as he sobbed into their shoulder. Instead, he got a firm grasp on his shoulders, and Todd staring up at him with fierce, clover colored eyes.

“Pull yourself together.” Travis’ eyes widened, the green light in Todd’s eyes burning into his soul. A wave of fear washed over him. He was afraid he would be yelled at for crying. Told that he needed to man up, be thrown to the floor. He expected his father’s rage to emerge. “You can do this. You’ve worked so hard for this. You are not going to start crying on stage. You won't ruin this experience for everyone else. But most importantly you won't ruin it for yourself.” Tears were still streaming down Travis’ face, but he was no longer crying. He closed his eyes and nodded. The shock of Todd’s tough love shook him out of the state of mind that he was previously in. What he wanted was comfort. But he had no idea he needed a firm talking to in order to get himself together.

“You got a lead role for a reason. No one is mad at you. And if something is going on outside of theater, it can wait. Now you are going to go out on that stage and give everyone the show that they all deserve.” Travis’ lips formed a shakey, yet determined smile. Todd then grinned back up at the taller boy, pulling him in for a surprise hug. “And like Veronica Sawyer once said, ‘If you were happy every day of your life, you wouldn’t be a human. You’d be a game show host.’ Now go out there and show me what you've got.” Todd gave Travis one more intense stare from behind his circular glasses before walking away.

Todd never gave anyone compliments. Todd was never known to be kind. Todd never said anything he didn’t mean. Todd was a little weird, but getting that speech from him sparked a torch of determination inside of Travis. He was feeling like a G6 and he knew that if Todd believed in him, he could believe in himself. One bump in the road wouldn’t keep him from driving. And Travis only needed a moment to get his cards in line before he was walking out onto stage left with his cast mates for the next scene.

 

Bows. Bows on closing night was a sight to behold. Cast members were crying as they sang the bowing song. People were hugging and laughing while simultaneously sobbing into each other's arms. It was bittersweet, to know that all of their hard work had created a spectacular show was wonderful. But the fact that it was all over, and for some people, it was their last show, that was heartbreaking.

Travis’ hazel eyes flooding with tears. He was standing where his mother always wished to be. He was stood in front of a crowd that appreciated him. As Travis stood there, bowing with his cast mates, he felt his mother's arms around him. Heard her congratulating him. Smelled her raspberry perfume. Even though he hadn’t seen her in years, her memory was all too surreal.

“Go home and be, yeah go home and be, yeah go home and be…” Travis sang until his lungs burst, Ash and Niel dancing beside him as they sang their farewell to the standing crowd.

“Legally Blonde!” Ash had tears streaming down her face, for this was most likely going to be the last time she ever stood on a stage. This was her farewell to theater, her last hurrah before college.

“Legally Blonde!” Megan sang her solo harmony like her life depended on it. She couldn’t care less if her voice would be shot the next day. She was eating the spotlight up, Travis smiled as he watched the little freshman dance and jump around. She truly belonged on stage.

“Legally Blonde! Oh yeah yeah!”

And with the last “yeah” the curtains were pulled shut. There were cheers from the cast, everyone collectively forming a giant group hug, catching Travis off guard as he stumbled a bit. Though Travis was not too into physical contact, he embraced the friends around him. The show had ended, the day was done, and gone the sun that lit the world so brightly.


	14. Punk Love Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? Whoa! I also recently found out what the word diatribe means and I just had to use it. It's such a cool word.

Travis was never an extrovert, nor did he ever intend on being one. Maybe it was the fact that his hand in Sal’s as his boyfriend’s hypnotic laugh echoed in the room, or maybe it was the honey whiskey coursing through his veins that gave him a sudden surge of confidence to hang out with some of Sal’s friends as they all sat in a circle on the rug in Ashley’s living room. 

The after party that Ash decided to throw was going great so far, and as the cast and crew were mingling, Sal’s head was leaning on the taller boy’s shoulder. 

“No but like, my favorite was when the author wrote ‘I stared into his blue orbs’. Wattpad fanfictions are so bad they’re almost funny.” Ash was explaining one of the really bad Wattpad stories she read ironically, Larry snorting as Sal’s friend, Chug, tried snorting Cheeto dust.

Todd placed his cup down on the carpet, raising his hand to add onto the story.

“There was this one fic where someone was hospitalized, and then in parentheses, it said ‘I don't know how cancer works, don't yell at me’.” 

Travis had no idea what Wattpad was, but from what he had gathered it seemed like a fanfiction writing website for horny eleven-year-olds, making him wonder where these toddlers’ parents were. But Travis was in no place to judge when his father raised him with diatribes.

Sal looked over to his boyfriend. Travis looked beautiful, his blonde hair tossed to the side, skin smooth as caramel and sprinkled with freckles, stage makeup still on his face. His green and brown eyeshadow brightening his eyes, his mascara only helped to accentuate the lashes that lined the perimeter of them. His lips, glossy sheen still remaining, gently sipped the alcoholic nectar from his red solo cup as the corners of his mouth tilted upwards. 

“Hey pumpkin,” Sal stood up, brushing off his distressed mom jeans. “I’m gonna go get more waffles. You need anything?” 

Travis shook his head, smiling up at his boyfriend as he gave Sal’s hand a slight squeeze as the shorter male made his way to the kitchen.

“Awe,” Ash cooed, ruffling Travis’ hair. “That’s so cute!” Ash seemed to be taking Travis and Sal’s relation pretty well. It was clear that she still missed Sal, but it was also clear that she was happy for him.

Travis blushed, looking down at his lap as a smile crept onto his face.

In the meantime, Sal was shoveling frozen, blueberry Eggo waffles into his face. He practically fell into the freezer as he ate, getting some stares from the other house guests. His body was telling him no, but he wouldn’t quit because he wanted more. Blueberry waffles were his drug.

The air was heated by the bodies of cast and crew members, some dancing, some talking, some drinking. Some obnoxious, some keeping to themselves. There was an odd scent of sweat and liquor in the air as the constant hum of pop music from the early 2000’s and teenage gossip filled the air. There was one overly touchy couple in the corner, they practically fucking each other through their clothes. Surprisingly, theater kids could be quite nasty. But it was no surprise to Sal, for he saw what Travis could do.

Sal made his way back to where his friends were sitting, only to find a crowd of dancing theater kids. Travis was out on the dancefloor, a huge grin on his face as he moved her beat. He was doing some kind of shuffle that almost looked like tap dancing. 

As Travis spun around and clicked his feet against the hardwood floor, he grabbed Ash her hands as they danced together. Travis couldn’t dance to choreographed numbers for the life of him, but freestyle was something he could do. Sal smiled, he was so grateful to see that the pair were getting along and that there was no more awkward tension between the two of them.

Larry was in the corner with Maple, the girl who played Vivian and Chug, one of the AV kids. They were sharing a bong as they bopped their heads to the music, Chug’s arm wrapped around Maple’s waist as he took another hit. Neil and Todd were with them, but they were too engulfed in each other to notice anything else. They were high on each other, no need for Larry’s pot or LSD to give them the trip of a lifetime.

Sal turned his attention back to the dancefloor as Ash grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the makeshift dance floor. She dragged him to Travis, and the three of them danced together, in a circle as Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” echoed throughout the Bluetooth speakers Ash had all over her oversized house. 

Ash jumped around, her messy, brown hair swaying in her face as she bopped her head with the music. Travis shuffled his feet while awkwardly moving his arms. He was clearly new to dancing in public settings. Sal did the choreography from his sleepaway camp’s notorious dance for the song, singing along the lyrics as he moved his arms to each lyric. 

As the song faded, Matthew Murphy’s hypnotic voice filled the room as “Kill the Director” came on, bass booming in Travis’ ears. Ash moved her way to dance with Megan, the brunette twirling the shorter girl as they rocked out. Sal grabbed Travis by the hands. Travis clearly did not recognize the iconic song from 2007, however he jumped around with his boyfriend. Sal’s blue pigtails wildly swayed as he whipped his head around, screaming the lyrics along with the lead singer as Travis couldn’t help but laugh. 

All of this was so absurd and out of character for him. Before meeting Sal he kept to himself, would have never listened to loud music, wouldn’t dream about disobeying his father, was angry all the time. But now he was independent and glad he was alive for the first time in his life. Sal had so many skills that made him distinctive. Sal was unlike any boy Travis had ever met.

“So with the angst of a teenage band,” Sal slid his prosthetic onto his head so his face was exposed. He couldn’t care less if anyone saw his face, he was too preoccupied with his boyfriend as he dramatically sang to Travis, the lyrics of the punk love song making Travis blush. “Here’s another song about a gender I’ll never understand!” 

Travis pulled his face close to Sal’s resting his forehead on his boyfriend’s as they swayed to the fast tempo of the drums. Travis was drunk and head over heels, he couldn’t help but tilt Sal’s face upwards and kiss him. The bass beating their hearts in a syncopated rhythm, only the cocktail of raw emotion and music could bring the two together like this. 

As the last strum of the electric guitar was strummed, Beyonce's “Partition” began to play, setting the tone for the rest of the night. Sal pulled away from Travis’ soft lips and smirked. He set his prosthetic down on a coffee table right next to where they were standing and grabbed Travis by the waist, causing the taller male to blush and swallow hard.


	15. Hand Printed

Of course Sal had to be wearing his white booty shorts with pastel blue fishnets. Of course his legs had to move like that with the shitty disco light radiating off of them. Of course he had an obscure band t-shirt that he cropped underneath his sweatshirt. Of course he had to sway his hips in a way that reminded Travis of the time Sal rode his dick in the bathroom stall of a bar

Of course Sal had to look up at Travis with hungry eyes as bass pounded in Travis’ chest.

Without warning, Sal dropped his ass to the ground and slowly came back up, his hands trailing all over his body as he did so. The shorter male swayed his hips to the beat, clapping above his head to the synthetic clapping in the song. Beyonce's lyrics accompanying the way Sal was moving had Travis’ head spinning. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was teenage hormones. Maybe it was the fact that Sal was exactly his type. Maybe his heart beating out of his chest was the reason he was paralyzed, unable to move because it felt like his sneakers had turned into bricks.

Sal dropped to the ground, he got lower and lower, hips swaying slower and slower. Sal seemed to be in his element, with the music blasting. This clearly was not his first rodeo. This clearly was not his first party. The liquor and taste of Sal still on Travis’ lips made him ache for Sal’s fingers to gently trace his mouth, for him to take his lover’s digits and suck on them, tongue gently swirling around the tips of Sal’s fingers.

Sal began to approach Travis, hips moving side to side as his eyes stared up at him. His hands gripped Travis’ ass and roughly pulled him close, their bodies pressed together, no space between them. Travis placed his hands on his boyfriend’s hips, unsure of how to proceed. He wasn’t necessarily out to his entire school, however most of the cast and crew knew about their relationship so the blatant display of PDA should have been fine as long as no one outside theater kids saw what was going on.

Sal began to gyrate his hips against Travis’, causing Travis to tremble.

“Awe look at you,” Sal had to grab Travis by the collar of his shirt on order for the shorter male to get his message across his boyfriend, Sal’s lips right against the shell of Travis’ ear. “I've barely even touched you and you’ve already begun to shake. I can't wait to make you sing for me.”

Sal moved his hands up Travis’ shirt, softly tracing circles into his flesh as it caused the taller boy to let out a sigh.

“You are so good on stage today, I think you deserve a reward.” Travis nodded, opening his mouth to plead, but Sal shut him up with a finger on his lover’s lips. “But not yet.” His voice was barely a hum. “A little public humiliation won't hurt.”

And with that Sal crept one of his hands down to Travis’ crotch, giving his dick a little squeeze as Travis’ eyes screwed shut. Sal’s hand palmed through the fabric of the jeans that were becoming way too tight for Travis to bear. As his blood began to boil, Travis moved his hands up to Sal’s hair, tugging at the smaller man’s pigtails for some kind, any kind of stability. The scent of sweaty teens and booze infected the room. But Travis didn't notice any of that. What he could smell was Sal. The scent of lavender that always seemed to linger on his skin, the remnants of vanilla candles that Sal’s father kept all over their apartment, the sweet and sour citrus smell of Sal’s face cream, all of it overwhelmed Travis as he breathed in his lover, eating up his presence and absorbing his touch.

Sal stood on his toes to kiss his boyfriend, opening his mouth to take in his lover. With lips slipping, mouthed sliding, tongues exploring, bodies pressing, pulses racing, the two boys were higher than the stars. Whoever said that kissing felt like sparks must have never kissed anyone with true, raw emotion. Because this kiss was no mere spark. It was a match being thrown onto a dried log, causing a chain reaction of trees going ablaze. And before anyone could stop them, the two boys were all over each other in a forest fire of passion. In the moment neither cared for the damage their fire could cause. And neither would possibly know how the flames of the night would stay burnt in their small town's history.

Sal’s lips slid down to Travis’ collar bone as he began to nibble at the soft skin. Travis was trying so hard not to moan, he didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. But Sal was not making it easy for Travis to keep quiet, the shorter male thumbing at Travis' erection through his jeans.

As he bit Travis’ neck, Sal began to unbutton his boyfriend’s jeans. Travis gasped, nervously looking around the room at the people surrounding him. No one seemed to notice except for Ash, her entire face red with embarrassment. Travis tried to apologize, hide his face, do something to make the situation better, but as Sal’s hand began to play with the hem of Travis’ boxers, the taller man gasped and his hips bucked at the sudden sensation.

Sal crept his fingers underneath his boyfriend’s underwear and down to his cock. Travis was already slick with precum. Travis was already starving with desire. Travis was already a mumbling mess, more people beginning to stare at the two boys.

“S-Sal please,” It was getting hard for Travis to hold himself up, his entire face flushed, his chest warm with embarrassment. Somehow the humiliation turned him on even more. But he was not willing to let Sal fuck him in a room full of teenagers. “Can we go up-upstairs?”

Sal pulled away from Travis’ neck and nodded, a smirk plastered on his torn lips. With one last grope, the shorter male took his hand out of Travis’ pants. The honey whiskey in Travis’ veins was something he would regret in the morning, but he was too horny and tipsy to care about it too much. The two boys stumbled up the staircase, kicking off their shoes along the way. Because of the alcohol distorting Travis’ vision, stairs seemed to be zigzagging every which way.

The shorter male took Travis by the hands and pulled him towards an empty room. Travis was barely strong enough to stand as Sal shoved him onto the bed, not caring to shut the door. Almost instantly, Travis pulled his pants down as Sal slipped out of his shirt.

Travis noticed the mural on the wall, painted was a beautiful ocean, waves rolling as a shipwreck laid underneath the blanket of water, the acrylic sunrise above illuminating the fish that swam around the large crystal that was buried in the painted sand. The other walls were littered in movie posters and Polaroid photos of flowers and forests, complimenting the light green wall paint. This had to be Ash’s room.

“Travis, is this okay?”

Travis nodded as he reached down to Sal’s shorts, his fingers awkwardly fumbling with the clasp. Finally he slid them off along with his boyfriend’s fishnets and boxers, tossing them to the floor right before Sal pinned the taller male to the wooden headboard of the bed. Travis dug his fingers into the purple bed sheets that lined the mattress as Sal pressed his lips against Travis’.

A sob escaped Travis’ lips as Sal’s hand returned to his groin, smearing precum all over the shaft of Travis’ cock. Travis was shaking, toes curling as Sal’s fingers gently caressed the crown of his dick.

“Oh sure, just tease me and t-” Travis’ complaints were cut off with Sal’s thumb rubbing over the head of the taller male’s erection, causing a moan to crawl it's way out of Travis’ lungs. “Take your time. Not like I need you inside me or anything.”

Sal suddenly took his hand off of Travis’ needy cock, making him whine as Sal just smirked up at his lover.

“Oh trust me pumpkin, if you have any doubt in your mind about me having the ability to fuck that sarcasm out of your system, I’d be more than happy to clear that up for you.”

Travis swallowed hard, he felt those words in his stomach as Sal stared up at him, his icy blue eyes piercing Travis’ soul. Sal reached over to the mahogany dresser by the side of the bed, pulling out a bottle of lube and a condom. Travis grabbed the condom out of Sal’s hand and placed it back into the dresser.

“We don’t need any protection, I want you,  I want your unfiltered love. I want you, raw inside of me.” Travis’ golden green eyes looked up with lust. “Please.”

“Alright,” Sal handed the bottle of lube to Travis as he smirked and began to stroke his own cock. “You have less than a minute to prepare yourself before I’m inside of you. No more foreplay.”

Travis nodded and poured lubricant all over his shaky fingers. His thighs were trembling as he spread his legs and began to slip a finger inside of his quivering hole, head jerking back as he did so. Sal bit his lip, Travis sure did have a skill for getting him hard. For someone who had only recently lost their virginity, he knew how to cross the line between tempting and irresistible.

It seemed as if Sal had been waiting and waiting for Travis’ body, the temperature in the room was rising and Sal’s face flushed a deep red as Travis slipped a second finger inside of him, gasping as he scissored his tight hole. Travis looked so beautiful, sprawled out on the bed, his body begging for Sal’s cock to eat him up.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Sal grabbed Travis’ hands and slowly took them out of him, causing Travis to hiss. “Now get on your hands and knees. I wanna see your ass in the air. I’m gonna give you exactly what you need. Alright Trav?”

Travis nodded and did as he was told. He grabbed onto the headboard so he would have something to hold onto. Sal pressed his cock against the taller male’s ass as he teased Travis’ tight hole, the warm head of his dick making Travis desperate.

With a groan, Sal pressed his cock inside of his boyfriend. Roughly shoving his entire length into Travis, Sal had one hand firmly placed on the taller male’s hip, and the other tangled in his golden hair, yanking on it as Travis gasped.

Abruptly, Sal slid his entire length out of Travis only to slam it back in again. Travis’ prostate felt like it was on fire, and as Sal began to move inside of him, the taller male began to tremble. While rocking his hips in and out of his boyfriend, Sal continued to yank Travis’ hair, pulling with every thrust. You could not have pleasure without pain. They weren’t two different entities, they were just two different sides on the same coin.

Every thrust made a little bit of precum come out of Travis as he began to dribble onto Ash’s bedsheets. Sal drove his cock into Travis’ ass, bringing his hand down to the taller male’s dick to stroke it as he relentlessly fucked Travis. Every rock of Sal’s hips caused Travis to whimper. The smack of skin against skin was music to Sal’s ears, speeding up the tempo as Travis groaned.

Sal brought his hand down on Travis, slapping his ass with his free hand as he continued to fuck his boyfriend without mercy. Travis let out a sob as his cock twitched in Sal’s hand. Travis arched his back with each spank, his mouth hanging open in a smile of bliss as tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes, his mascara beginning to smudge.

Sal moved the hand that was slapping Travis on the rear back to his hair, giving another tug and earning a shout from him. Travis looked so beautiful bent over, hands gripping the headboard as if there was no tomorrow. It didn’t help that Sal’s power hungry dick was shoved deep in Travis’ ass, causing the taller male to make these adorable little whines that were the gasoline to Sal’s vehicle.

Such a masterpiece was forbidden, seeing Travis sprawled out, shaking thighs barely even able to hold him up. Sal had the ability to have him break with one word, one touch. One single thrust and Travis was putty in the shorter males hands. Sal’s raw dominance over Travis took the breath out of him. He had tricked Travis with his stoic and mysterious exterior, but the beast inside swept Travis off his feet.

The hand that was firmly planted on Travis’ waist tightened it's grip, claws digging into the sun-kissed skin of Travis’ hip. Sal pushed his cock deep inside of Travis, making him howl with pleasure. Sal’s hand multitasked by stroking his thumb over the head of his boyfriend’s cock, teasing the slit his fingers tightened around Travis’ length.

Travis’ lips were shaking, his chest heaving with every time Sal pressed his dick against his prostate. The knots in Travis’ stomach were getting tighter with every thrust, every shove of Sal inside of him.

With fingers lingering on the tip of Travis’ cock, Sal began to reach his breaking point, his throbbing dick deep in Travis’ ass. Every time Sal drove into Travis, every time he pounded his boyfriend’s ass, Travis began to feel impatient. He wanted ecstasy and he wanted it now.

Sal leaned down to Travis’ neck where he marked him all over, placing new hickeys where old ones faded. His lips lingered over the first hickey he ever gave his boyfriend, deepening the color of Travis’ flesh as he sucked. With every bruise, there was a bite mark. Travis cried out as Sal skinned him with his tongue.

“Sal! Please I’m close! I need to cum!”

Sal continuously pounded into Travis’ tight hole while Travis was begging to be allowed to cum, however his thumb and forefinger wrapped around the base of Travis’ length, preventing him from doing so. More weeping pleads escaped Travis’ lips, but Sal responded with another spank with his free hand.

“There’s no way I’m letting you cum before I do.” Another firm hand landed on the taller male’s ass, red marks littering the tanned skin of Travis’ rear. “Now hold your tongue. I don't wanna hear another peep out of you until I've orgasmed.”

Travis was trying so hard to stay silent, but his vocal nature betrayed him. Every time Sal shoved his cock deeper and deeper, Travis would let out a whimper, earning another smack from Sal.

“Not another fucking peep out of you.” With every word came another thrust. Tears were streaming down Travis’ face, his mascara running, his eyeshadow all over, his lipstick smeared. He was a mess, but he felt like he was in heaven.

With shaky thighs and precum dripping down his cock, Travis was panting, his chest heaving. Sal’s thrusts became less even paced, more desperate and becoming faster with every shove.

“Fuck..” Sal bit his lip as he came inside of Travis, earning a sob from his boyfriend. Sal gave a few more thrusts before he pulled out, cum dripping out of Travis’ ass. He unwrapped his hand from the base of Travis’ cock. Travis practically screamed as his entire body trembled, cumming all over Sal’s hand.

Travis collapsed, his legs still shivering. Travis unwrapped his hands from the headboard as Sal plopped down next to him, staring up at the galaxy that Ashley had painted on the ceiling.

There were intricate star charts and beautiful planets scattered all over the backdrop that went from black in the corners, then purple, then a dark blue to lighter, pink streaks, and then finally a white in the center where she had painted the milky way. There was a green rocket ship that raced across the sky and a large astronaut connected to the vessel by a chord. The detail on the space suit was incredible, the scratches on the helm, the stitching in the fabric, the reflection of starlight on the glass visor. It was clear that ash was skilled in her craft, however she did not intend on majoring in art, which was a waste of her skill in Sal’s opinion.

Travis rolled onto his back to look at his boyfriend who laid next to him, studying every scratch, every freckle, every dimple, every scar, every dot, every line. Spending time with him was such a blessing. Travis fully believed that Sal was a gift from the god that he didn’t believe in.

Sal rolled over to look at Travis, reaching out to intertwine his fingers in his boyfriend’s and getting underneath the covers. Travis blushed and stroked the side of Sal’s face with the side of his hand while tucking himself in as well.

“You are the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen.”

Sal rolled his eyes but smiled anyway, covering his face with his free hand.

“You must have not seen many guys then.”

Travis lightly punched Sal in the arm, rubbing his thumb on the side of his boyfriend’s hand.

“I’m serious! I know that you’re ashamed of your face, but it’s so unique and,” He trailed off, staring into Sal’s eyes that were glistening with the fairy lights that lined the walls of Ash’s room. “I’m glad you don’t look like everyone else.” Sal’s smile wavered, looking down. He seemed kind of upset by that last comment. But before he could say anything Travis cut him off. “And It's not only your face. Your eyes are so lovely, like the color of a clear sky on a warm spring day, shimmering like the ocean. Your freckles, your dimples, the way you smile. God, you’re just so beautiful.”

Sal forced a smile but his eyes looked down ashamed.

“Dude, you don’t have to make up some kind of poem about my eyes to try and boost my self-esteem about my face. No matter what you say you’d never know what it’s like to have kids cry when they see you. The stares, the stares are horrible.” Sal looked up at Travis, eyes full of pent up sadness and insecurities.

“I wish I could just look like everyone else. Every day I have to look my self in the eye. The one real eye I have. I don't know if I’ve even told you but I have a glass eye because of my- the incident.” The shorter make began to shake, Travis tried to wrap his arms around his boyfriend but Sal just pushed Travis’ arms away. “I’m terrified of dogs, I’m restless at night cause of the horrible dreams I have. And I have to live like this. With my face. The rest of my life I am forced to live like this. I’m glad you can see past it but I can’t.”

The pair laid in the dark. They had nothing to say. It was just the two beatings of hearts like two guns in a grave.

“I’m sorry,” Sal wiped his real eye with his thumb as Travis squeezed his hand. “I’m just still not over it.”

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize how touchy of a subject that was.” Travis gave a sympathetic smile to his lover as Sal placed his palm on the side of Travis’ face.

“Can I kiss you?” Travis’ voice was soft and warm. Sal nodded and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend.

Their lips gently came together as Sal caressed Travis’ cheek. The two boys stayed like that until they fell asleep together, legs tangled, still covered in cum. Travis’ makeup was smeared and hairspray still in his hair from the closing night’s performance, however, neither boy cared. The pair would worry about showers in the morning. They would worry about facing Ashley in the morning. They would worry about Travis’ father in the morning. For now, they would just fall asleep in each other's arms like lovers do.

The pair had only been dating for a month, but Travis was sure that he had a good feeling about Sal. He was hoping that Sal would be by his side for a long time, hoping that their relationship was more than a fling. Hoping that they could be with each other for the long run.

There are certain fantasies that Travis grew up believing were wrong. However being with Sal was the kind of love he had been dreaming of. 


	16. We've Met The Birds Before But It Seems As If No One Paid Much Attention To Detail

Travis woke up in the middle of a forest, still fully nude. He reached up to his throbbing head only to find a three-centimeter gash in between his eyebrows, it felt like there was an ice-cold liquid pouring out of the slit on his forehead. The taste of blood overwhelmed him, his tongue licking over the cut in his mouth. Travis’ tooth was stuck in the dirt on the floor and he was losing blood quickly.

Travis stood up and immediately felt lightheaded. He was starving, stomach feeling like it was about to collapse in on itself. Travis couldn’t remember falling asleep in the forest, nor did he know why he was injured. All he did know was that he felt like he was being watched. He didn’t feel in danger, but he knew that something hostile was among him. He was covered in mud, hair matted with twigs, blood and fur embedded underneath his nails.

Travis looked around and tried to stay calm, taking deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. Not too far ahead was a deer. A deer that had met it’s untimely frost. It’s head was missing but it’s skull and antlers were in pristine condition, bleached by the sun and placed on a rotting tree stump that was a mere foot away from the mutilated body.

As Travis cautiously tiptoed towards the dead carcass, he noticed that the deer was slashed open, liver and stomach off to the side. The deer's still beating heart was placed by it's feet where it's hooves had been carefully removed and placed in a pile near the rest of the internal organs.

The stench alone made Travis queasy, but the sight of the mangled body had the starving and terrified boy dry heaving on his hands and knees. The doctor of death was among Travis and the deceased deer.

After Travis’ body was done trying to vomit up the food that wasn’t in Travis’ system, he walked closer to the body to inspect the damage that had been done. A circle of blood was spread around the carcass and there were 8 words carved into it’s calf.

 

“Death has sucked the honey of thy breath”

 

It was a Shakespeare quote from Romeo and Juliet. From the scene where Romeo found Juliet’s unconscious body and mistook it for his lover being dead. From one of the most gut-wrenching scenes that had so much foreshadowing leading up to it. From the play that had so much dramatic irony, camouflaged by the romance between the two protagonists.

Travis’ lower lip began to quiver, his hands began to twitch. He looked up, into the brush past the deer only to stand face to face with a dog.

The dog was black as night, crystal blue eyes freezing time. The hound had no pupils, only hollow color staring Travis down. Immediately Travis turned to run the other direction, the soles of his feet tearing off because of twigs and stones that stood in his way. The fear and adrenaline in his veins had him sprinting twice as fast as the average human being. His animal instincts were telling him that he needed to get out of the unknown forest.

After almost an hour of nonstop running, Travis was forced to halt, his feet skidding as he almost tumbled off the ledge of a cliff. Dirt and tiny pebbles rolled off the edge, falling to the murky waters below.

Travis observed the demonic view. There was a sea of charred trees blanketing the hills that ran across the ravine.

“Jump.”

At first, it was barely a whisper.

“Jump.”

A figment of Travis’ imagination.

“Jump.”

But it got louder.

“Jump.”

And louder.

“Jump.”

More demanding.

“Jump.”

Travis gripped his head,

“Jump.”

Tearing out golden tufts of hair to try and get the voice out.

“Jump.”

But he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Jump.”

So he did.

He jumped off the perch like a diving bird.

Travis’ skin boiled as he submerged into the scorching water that awaited him at the foot of the cliff. He desperately flailed his arms, coughing and sputtering, salt water stinging his cuts, tiny fish nibbling at the flesh that was hanging off of his scraped feet, their tiny teeth tearing off the sensitive skin.

Finally, Travis came to his senses and swam to the shoreline, dragging himself onto the ashen sand that covered the beach. To the west, there was a trail that lead dramatically through the burnt trees into the charcoal forest.

Travis was still trying to figure out what the hell happened to him, to this place, what the hell he had seen. Nothing was making sense, however, it couldn’t have been a dream. The pain was too sharp, the images too vivid.

The sun was rising now, Travis could see it as he limped through the dead trees, no leaves to block the view of the sun. Travis stumbled over to one of the trees, slamming his head against it until his head felt like it had split open. Too dehydrated to cry, Travis fell to his knees and screamed into the sorbet sky. His feet were blistered, his burnt flesh felt like a wedding dress. Making him a doomed bride, marrying him to a lifetime of misery and pain before he withered and died by the mercy of death’s scythe.

Travis craved execution.

He noticed flowers beginning to grow on the path. Millions of delphiniums creating a contrasting blue streak to the blackened forest. Travis stood up, mouth dropping slightly. This was his reality now. The unexpected. He was so afraid, but the breathtaking view was enough to calm his nerves.

All of a sudden Travis felt water slosh around inside his gut and he began to shake. Tremble. Violently shiver until he was vomiting himself a hurricane. There were floods, tidal waves. He continued to tremble as he threw up until there was nothing left inside of him. His body hollowed as he looked down to see his internal organs in a puddle on the floor, writhing around in the same black sea water he had jumped into.

Travis collapsed into the floor, falling into his guts, squishing them as he landed, the scent of sweet flowers and puke burning his nostrils. With the last ounce of energy Travis had heft, he looked up only to see a raven and a crow standing over him. They observed until Travis’ last breath.

After Travis died, he tried to open his mouth. He tried to scream, shout, wave his arms. But he couldn't. The raspy song of a crow escaped from his throat. Terrified, he realized he was now standing over his own dead body, side by side with the raven that was only slightly smaller than he was. Or it was slightly smaller than the crow's body.

Travis had no control over the crow's body. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Couldn’t flap about. All he could do was watch in horror as the raven and the body he was trapped in pecked his dead, burnt, naked body. He felt every single peck, every single sharp jab of the beaks biting his skin. He was forced to watch through the eyes of the crow.

After his entire body was eaten by the two birds, Travis woke up.


	17. I Don't Wanna Be Alone When These Bones Decay

Travis woke up in a cold sweat, his entire body tense. He reached up to touch his wet cheeks that were stained with tears. He turned around only to find that he was alone in Ash’s bed. His heart fell when he noticed Sal wasn’t there to greet him.

Travis hoped that Sal would be downstairs, but as he got dressed and crept down the carpeted steps, all he found was Ash cleaning up from the party the prior night.

She looked up, and as soon as she saw Travis she looked annoyed.

“Okay, first off your shirt’s on backwards. Second, In my bed? Really?” Travis flushed red and rubbed the back of his neck with a sore hand. “Like dude that’s actually gross. You better wash my sheets. And please take a shower, you smell like you really had your brains fucked out of your system. When you get back down here we need to talk.”

Travis nodded and shamefully made his way to the nearest bathroom.

 

“Megan’s dead.”

Those two words had Travis feeling like Ash had taken a sledgehammer and swung it into his stomach.

“She’s all over the news. Cops are after whoever killed her and they say that they have a main suspect who’s currently on the run. They won’t give details but like, this is big.” Ash was holding her empty coffee mug, clearly distressed. Travis took a sip of his camomile tea, trying to swallow the information Ash had just given him.

“Apparently she was last seen walking home after the party, but her body was found in the woods. She-” Ash began to cry, staring down at her hands, lilac nail polish chipped. “They won’t say much but apparently the scene even made one of the police officers queasy.”

Travis reached out to comfort Ash, but she just slapped his hand away.

“And you,” She was staring at Travis with her deep brown eyes, pent up emotion finally being reflected.

“I’ve tried to be your friend. I really want to be. But you fucked my boyfriend, in my own house.” Ash’s tone was surprisingly calm, but her eyes were nothing of the sort. She was full of anger, however her eyes mostly betrayed the hurting she felt. “I feel like Tybalt when Romeo crashed his party. Sure, Romeo and Juliet were cute together, but what about Rosaline? She was just thrown aside after ‘love at first sight’ or some bullshit like that. No one even remembers her.” Her voice cracked, she began to shake as Travis just stared, he didn’t know how to respond. Ash began to laugh, throwing her hands up in the air.

“That lube bottle on my dresser that you guys used? Sal bought that for me last year for Hanukkah. And I still can’t believe you guys had the audacity to fuck in my bed! He’s infatuated with you, sure. But what happens when he finds another muse? He’s naturally impulsive without any added feelings. But you just added fuel to the fire.”

The pair sat in silence, eyes interlocked as if it was physically impossible to look away. The silence was so loud, so heavy. Ash took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. Just like the moon, she had a dark side. The well put together woman that everybody knew was now beginning to unravel. And rightfully so. There was no way that Travis could undo what had been done. He just wished he had never hurt the hurting girl. There were no more sobs, but steady streams still fell from her eyes. She was still crying over the love of Sal, over the love she lost, but she was able to pull herself together. In a mere moment, the tears stopped. She looked indecipherable even though she was feeling pretty fake. She removed her hands from her mug to place them in her lap. Ash looked stoic. Ash looked like a queen. A queen who had to hold up public appearances in hard times.

“And now Sal won’t answer my texts. He walked home last night too. What if,” She took another breath, exhaling through her slightly parted mouth. “What if the killer got him too? I didn’t get to say goodbye like I was supposed to do. He walked out while I was screaming at him for everything he did to me. Everything he put me through. Because of him, I feel like I’ll never be enough. But if those were my last words to him, I don't know how I’ll be able to forgive myself.”

This time it was Ash who reached out to Travis, holding his hands from across the tiny circular table that the pair was sitting at. A heavy ambiance filled the room, but Travis had a new understanding of the person in front of him. She was no saint, nor was she a girl who forgave without reason. She was human. A woman, stronger than words could describe. She was heartbroken and angry, yet had the kindness in her soul to befriend the two people who hurt her the most. She was conflicted but coping, and no matter what she never acted out because of spite. She genuinely was happy for Travis and Sal, but a month couldn’t erase the bags under her eyes from sleepless nights or the betrayal she had every right to feel.

Ash sighed and gave Travis a smile, forgiveness and melancholy in her eyes.

“If he’s still out there, if he is okay, take care of him for me. Make sure he stays out of trouble,” She chuckled underneath her breath, lightening the atmosphere ever so slightly. “Cause we both know he can't keep those dirty paws of him clean.”

 

The long walk home gave Travis time to reflect on what Ashley had said to him. Among the well-worn locals, there was a killer on the loose. Among all of her smiles and jokes, there was restlessness inside of Ash. Among all of the cast members, one had been killed.

And Sal.

Despite all the nights they had spent together, Travis barely knew anything about Sal. He didn’t know where he was going, didn’t know where he had been. He didn’t know anything about his past, or his dreams for the future. But at the same time, Travis hadn’t shared much with Sal either.


	18. There Won't Ever Be A Band

“Where were you last night?”

Travis’ father was a tall, blonde haired, blue eyed, pale skinned man. He was never seen without his priest get up and large cross that hung around his neck. Mr. Phelps circled around the kitchen while Travis stood there, holding his breath as if the slightest noise could have him killed.

School had been canceled the Monday after the party because of the murder. Everyone needed time to calm down and cope with the loss of Megan.

Those five words seemed simple enough, but Travis’ father was the master of loaded language, a tactic that made his words seem harmless to an outsider, but had a hostile undertone that only Travis could decipher. The wrong answer would have him reamed.

“My friend Ashley had a small get together, but there was a little girl that was killed last night so we all slept over for our own safety.”

Mr. Phelps stopped right in front of his son, emotionless eyes peering down at Travis.

“I don't need my son hanging around whores. I've seen her, walking around town in her fishnets and ass hanging out of her shorts.” He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. Travis swallowed hard, knowing he had answered the question wrong. “And I know about your little ‘friend’, Sal. That’s his name, right? I raise you, teach you how to be saved, teach you to live with the lord, and this is how you fucking repay him? Repay me?” He was screaming now, his finger jabbing into Travis’ chest. “There were pictures all over facebook and twitter, you two… You two being very physical last night at your ‘small get together’.”

Travis’ father was a demonic priest with his parade of his ignorant, brainwashed disciples.

“Sir, I-”

Mr. Phelps shoved his son, Travis falling to the floor as he tried to crawl away from his father who approached him, voice raising. “Did I say you could speak?” Travis had taught himself not to feel emotion. It was a coping skill that children who had been through trauma typically developed. But when Travis’ father grabbed a frying pan, crusted with dried grease from the counter, Travis began to feel his fears bubbling to the surface. “I didn’t raise a faggot.”

That word, that word struck something in Travis. Even when his father swung at him, hitting Travis in the knee with the blunt object, Travis tried his best to stand, facing his father for the very first time.

“Don't you see? I am showing you mercy for not kicking you out! He defiled you, your neck is covered in- in his markings! I will have him pay. I am only doing the Lord's work!”

“It is torture, not mercy!” Travis’ voice was just as loud as his father's. And as Mr. Phelps’ weapon struck Travis in the face, causing a gash in between his eyebrows, his blood feeling cool against his heated face. Even as Travis was injured, he never backed down.

“You had freedom, but I have to take it away from you.”

“I never had the freedom to begin with!”

Travis’ father stopped walking toward his son. He placed the frying pan on the table beside him and took a deep breath, his voice brought back down to a low, raspy tone.

“I’ve guided you enough. You will figure this out yourself son. You end this relationship, or I will. Go to your room. I don’t want to see you. If we cross paths I will make sure you regret it.”

 

About a half hour later, Travis rubbed his puffy eyes as he heard the garage door shut, signaling that his father was off to work. Right after he heard the car pull out of the gravel driveway and speed down the road that lead to the exit of the gated residential, Travis received a message from Instagram. He opened it and furrowed his brows with confusion.

Sally_Face_1999:  
hey dude i'm outside ur window

And sure enough, when Travis looked outside, he saw Sal, ladder in hand, waving up at Travis.

He couldn’t help but laugh, for Travis couldn’t believe how romantic yet idiotic of a gesture this was. But he still helped his boyfriend climb into his room. Sal fell onto Travis with a thud. The pair laughed as Sal rolled off of the taller male and smiled up at him.

“Hey beautiful.”

Even though they were dating and said stuff like this to each other all the time, Travis couldn’t help but blush a little.

“Hey yourself.” Travis stood up and offered his boyfriend a hand, who graciously took it. “What are you doing here? You know if my dad was still here he would have killed you and then me?”

Sal tucked a strand of long blue hair behind his ear, he wasn’t wearing his typical pigtails for a change.

“That’s why I waited for him to leave. And I’m here for that luscious booty of yours.”

Travis burst out laughing, hugging Sal close.  
“Oh my god, your such a dork.”

Sal hugged back, nuzzling into Travis’ chest.

“I’m not joking. This is a booty call.” Sal’s words were muffled, but that didn’t stop Travis from flushing red.

“Did you seriously drag that ladder all the way from your place just to fuck me?”

“Yup.”

Sal pulled away, chuckling at the taller male who smiled down at him sweetly. Sal really liked Travis and wished he could spend the night, but he didn’t have much time. Sal guided Travis to the bed, one hand on his chest and the other impatiently unbuckling Travis’ pants. Travis gasped, he hadn’t expected Sal to be so hasty with his actions. However, he was hardly the type to discourage what his boyfriend was doing.

As the pair helped each other out of their clothes, Sal took a look at the impressive red hickeys that were dotted all over Travis’ neck, smiling a bit as he knew he had left the taller male with a parting gift. All Sal wanted to do was ignite his own party with his lover. For a second Travis could have sworn that Sal was tearing up. As he gazed into the shorter male’s wet baby blues with sympathy, he realized he must have been mistaken because with a blink, the tears disappeared, a smirk plastered onto Sal’s lips as he pinned Travis to the wall, kneeling on the bed as one hand gently wrapped around the taller male’s neck, and the other began to jerk him off.

Travis mewled as Sal fondled his balls, gentle fingers caressing the base of his cock simultaneously. All of a sudden, Travis was shoved down to the bed. It was easy to push him over into the mattress, with the blue haired man straddling the son of a minister down and making a mess of his neck and collar bone.  

”Do you want me to hold you face down and fuck you into the bed sheets?” Sal’s hands held him steady in place, eye-to-eye. “Or do you want me to watch your face while I fuck you apart, on your back like a whore?”

Travis swallowed hard as he mustered up the courage to request something he’d been meaning to ask for a while.

“Today I wanna be in charge.”

Sal’s eyebrow cocked up for a brief moment before he got off of his boyfriend, letting Travis’ eyes linger over his boney body as Sal’s fingers traced circles around his nipples.

“Okay big boy, show me what you have in mind.”

Travis suddenly felt intimidated. He had no clue how to proceed. Still, he pulled Sal in by the waist. With one hand on the smaller male’s chest, he pushed him down onto the mattress. Cock throbbing, Travis began to grind against his boyfriend, causing both of them to groan. Travis’ free hand gripped Sal’s waist to stabilize his shuddering body, tanned, shaky fingers dug into Sal’s ghostly skin, making Travis look much darker than he actually was.

“Can you please roll over?”

Sal just laughed in Travis’ face and squeezed his boyfriend’s bruised and still sore ass, causing Travis to hiss.

“Make me.”

And with that, Travis flipped the smaller male with ease. Though he was light, Sal was taken by surprise at the sudden strength that Travis showed.

“Sal, I-” Travis’ sweet and worried voice suddenly shifted to one much deeper. A tone that made Travis seem more confident than he actually was. “I wanna fucking rail you. Rip you apart. Or do you want me to be gentle with you, like a needy bitch?”

Sal turned his head so he could smirk up at his boyfriend.

“Gimme everything you’ve got, _babe_.” The smaller male knew exactly what he was doing, cooing the last word like a brat. Travis reached under his bed to grab his bottle of lube and a condom. He then tore open the package with his teeth, spitting the piece of wrapper out of his mouth and fumbled around with the rubber until it was fully rolled onto his erect length. Tossing the rest of the condom wrapper to the side, he unopened the bottle of lubricant and drizzled a generous amount onto his fingers as Sal watched with anticipation.

“You’ve better use a lot, I haven’t been the one getting fucked in a long time.”

Travis sneered, mocking Sal before he roughly shoved a finger into Sal’s tight hole. The rim of Sal’s ass coiled around the taller male’s digit. And as he began to move it, Sal groaned, biting the back of his hand to keep quiet. Sal couldn’t speak, his throat working desperately against some unseen force to swallow the saliva that was welling up in his mouth.

With two more fingers now inside of Sal, Travis curled his fingers inside of his boyfriend.

“Oh m-my god babe, you look great. I just can’t wait to fuck you.”

Sal let out a guttural groan as he raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t your father ever teach you that patience is a virtue?”

“Don't bring up my dad while I have my fingers in your ass.”

Sal tried to laugh, but he just ended up moaning. The taller male smirked as he removed his fingers from Sal’s quivering hole. Sal was about to complain before he saw Travis wipe the remainder of the lube on his dick.

“Holly shit.”

It was barely a whisper, but Travis heard it and bit his lip, trying not to laugh at the boy who was becoming increasingly more and more desperate. The taller male kneeled, placing both of his hands on Sal’s hips and yanking him up to line himself up with Sal’s ass.

Sal hissed when he felt the head of Travis’ cock bud up against his hole. He was embarrassed by the fact he was practically dripping. Sal burrowed his head into the pillow to try and muffle the moan that came out of his mouth as the tip of Travis’ cock caught on Sal’s rim. Travis would be lying to himself if he said that being able to put Sal in such a state wasn’t going to his head.

The taller male began to press himself inside of his boyfriend with an airy whine. It was too much and not enough all at once. And Sal was going to lose his mind.

After what seemed like an eternity, Travis slowly entered Sal. The smaller male was warm around Travis’ cock, Sal’s dick twitching as Travis’ fingers curled around it.

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck Sal you feel-”

“Move Travis.”

So he did. Sal wanted to feel him. Sal wanted it all. He wanted to be touched, loved, fucked. He wanted to be hunted down, breathed in, brought to hell, heaven, and back down to earth. Travis' thighs began to quiver with every single thrust.

"Shit. I'm that good clenched around your cock, huh?”

Travis nodded as a sob escaped his lips. He bucked his hips as he held himself up with shaky arms. Fucking Sal was like watching an angel fall from heaven. Over and over and over again.

Sal couldn’t tell his left or right apart because of how good Travis was messing him up. His dick was twitching with need, his breathing was staggered and uneven, he was a drooling mess, and entire body trembling. No saints could save either of them now. If there love was a sin, it was worth going to hell for.

Lust-filled eyes met Travis’ as Sal was being pounded into the mattress, the slap of skin against skin. Travis whispered praises to Sal as if they were secrets. Though the constraint in and out of Travis’ dick was rough, the gentle kisses on Sal’s back were not. Sal cried out for his lover as his prostate was stimulated, the crown of his cock being stroked by his boyfriend’s fingers. A string of whines and screams escaped Sal’s lungs, He was trying so hard to get more of Travis, even moving his hips in time with the rough slam of Travis against his own hips.

Sal arched his back as he opened his mouth to speak, lips quivering.

“T-Trav, I ne-need to see you.”

With that, Travis pulled himself out of Sal, causing the smaller male to hiss. Sal almost immediately turned around and laid out on the bed, spreading his legs wide, giving Travis a beautiful view of Sal’s cock that was dripping with precum. Travis swore underneath his breath as Sal bit the spot between the collarbone and the neck, the spot that always turned Travis into putty. Travis’ legs began to shake and Sal chuckled, then he screamed out as his prostate was stimulated, faster this time. A loud scream turned moan escaped the smaller male when Travis slammed back in, his body now spasming from the pace and the constant slams to his prostate.

As Sal’s fingers tore the blonde's skin, it felt as if Sal was trying to claw his way inside of Travis. The sharp nails on the taller male's back felt so good. And as Travis continued to thrust inside of Sal, the smaller male barely even had time to study the mess of a boy who stood above him.

Both men were trembling, shivering as Sal called Travis’ name two or three times in a row. It was too hard for either of them to explain, but the wave of emotion that flooded the both of them was more than just ecstasy. With each slam of Travis’ dick inside of Sal’s ass, it felt like there was both the birth of something old, and the death of something new.

The final earthquake ruptured through Sal’s spine as he came without warning, moaning and sinking his nails deeper into Travis’ shoulders. Travis also came, still pumping in and out of Sal.

Travis plopped down next to his boyfriend, turning around to face Sal.

“Wow, dude that was amazing.”

Travis leaned in to cuddle the smaller male, but Sal shook his head and sat up.

“You were perfect, but I have to get going. I’m sorry dude, but, you’ll see me soon.”

Travis whined and reached out and grabbed Sal’s arm, trying to convince him to stay but the shorter male just shook his head again.

“Please don’t worry about me, okay pumpkin?” Sal swallowed as his eyes began to flood with tears. He reached out to caress the side of Travis’ cheek. “I know we only started dating a month ago and this may seem too soon, but I love you.”

Those three words took Travis by surprise. Of course, he really liked Sal, but to say that he loved him, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to take that next step.

“Sweetheart,” Travis sat up, pulling his shaking boyfriend into his arms. “Why are you crying?”

Sal wrapped his arms around Travis, sobbing into his shoulder as he trembled.

“I can't, I just have to go. I’m sorry.” Sal truly wished that he could have stayed for longer, but he had no choice. He had to leave.

Travis could only watch helplessly as Sal changed back into his clothes and pulled a tiny box out of his jean jacket pocket. Sal got down on one knee as Travis covered his mouth, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Sal opened the tiny box and revealed a simple silver band. Travis noticed that Sal was wearing a matching one on his right, ring finger.

“This isn’t an engagement ring. This is a promise ring. Promise me that you won’t forget me, okay?”

Travis’ head was reeling. He was so tired and confused and just wanted his boyfriend to stay. He just nodded, dumbfounded and unable to properly respond. Sal slipped the ring onto his left ring finger. It was a perfect fit.

“Wait,” Travis called out right before Sal exited through his window. “Where are you going?”

“Goodbye pumpkin, you’ll see me soon.”

Sal never answered Travis’ question. As he left Travis got up and watched him climb down the ladder and jump the fence to escape his back yard.

Travis had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had the feeling that you get, when the afternoon is set and you know that you have wasted another day.


	19. For This

Travis was sitting on his couch out in the living room, playing one of his many playlists as he watched the news for any reports of Megan’s murder, hoping that the killer had been identified and caught, for he did not want to have to fear for his life if Travis wanted to take a stroll down the street. 

The blonde ran a hand through his ruffled hair, it was messy from Sal coming over earlier in the day. He was wearing a grey sweater with blue diamonds embroidered into it, along with a pair of black, baggy jeans and a pair of socks with little foxes on them. Travis was feeling quite cozy as he looked at the ring his boyfriend gave him.

‘You’ll see me soon.’

Those words rang in Travis’ ears like a song on repeat. There was clearly a double meaning to them. The oddly worded sentence made Travis uneasy, he fiddled with the ring on his finger while he tried to decipher Sal’s coded message.

“An update on the Sally Face murderer,”

Travis jumped up, terrified on what the reporter meant by that. He hoped that the reporter was joking, prayed that he had forgotten it was April first, but it wasn’t. He knew it was the nineteenth because of the giant Jesus themed calendar on the kitchen wall.

“He was found walking around town aimlessly.”

Travis couldn’t peel his eyes off of the television screen, his lips parted, mouth open in disbelief. As the reporter handed the microphone over to a police officer, Travis felt his stomach drop.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I won’t go into the gory details too much, but it seemed like the work of a cultist. Her body…” The police officer's lower lip was quivering as the reporter placed a hand on the shaken man’s shoulder. “She was torn apart, and it seems as if the murderer was into literature because there was a Shakespeare quote on her upper thigh.”

The events that were going down were too close to his dream for comfort. Travis, while trembling, made his way over to the kitchen to grab bottles of vodka from the liquor cabinet. Slowly walking his way back over to the couch, he plopped down and popped the cap off of the half-empty bottle, gulping down a mouthful that burnt his throat.

While watching the news with disbelief, Travis nearly drank himself half to death, yet he only tasted Sal. He could taste the blueberry waffles he made after their first time, taste the sugary beverages he always ordered at Dunkin’, taste the chapstick he sometimes wore. 

Travis’ eyes were glued to the tv screen, flashing lights illuminated Sal as he was roughly shoved into a police car. Travis’ heart had been thrown into a blender. As Travis tried to get close, Sal was already gone. Travis let himself be emotionally vulnerable and this is what he got in return. Travis washed his mouth out with vodka, but he could still taste Sal. Feel Sal’s lips, hear his voice, smell his cooking, see him dancing. Travis’ senses were overwhelmed with Sal, but his blood boiled at the thought of Sal being a murderer. Though the trial date was not even set, there was concrete evidence against his boyfriend, the fact that his prosthetic was found near the scene of the crowd, the fact that his fingerprints were all over the young girl, the fact that Sal had acted so weird after they had sex.

Travis turned off the television, he couldn’t take any more of what he hoped were lies. He sat there, trembling violently as he reached over to his phone to plug in his earbuds and blast the music into hears, loud enough to block out the words of the police officer that rang in his mind.

The shakey boy laid down on the carpet, chest heaving as he stared up at the ceiling.

It was the Monday after the play, and Travis was surrounded by wine, beer, and whiskey bottles, on the verge of passing out. He lay on the floor, arms spread out, blasting Hobo Johnson through his earbuds. The raspy voice of the rapper lulling Travis into a dream-like nightmare.

‘How romantic. Nothing like getting drunk and getting manic on a motherfucking Monday.’ 

That quote hit Travis hard. It perfectly described how he was spending that night. He fell in love for this. He disobeyed his father for this. He risked everything. For this.

He wished that he could have been with Sal for forever, but that wasn’t possible. Because the image of Travis’ boyfriend being manhandled as he was stuffed into the back seat of the police car. 

“‘Dear Shakespeare,’” There were tears streaming down his face now, however, Travis’ voice was steady. 

“‘Could you write a happy ending please?’” His hands grabbed fistfuls of carpet, gripping and tearing out some of the strands.

“‘Could you write a happy ending, please?’” Repeating his words once again, his voice louder this time, tears streaming faster.

“‘We just deserve a happy ending please,’” Screaming, shaking, kicking, tearing at the carpet. Travis’ voice was cracking, oh so raspy, feeling like his lungs were on fire, about to give out.

“‘Please.’” His final word was nothing but a whisper, a whisp blown away by the wind. Travis fell asleep, in fetal position, “Romeo and Juliet” playing on repeat, tears streaming down his face, and voice shot from screaming. 

As he tried to get close, Sal was already gone.

The stinging of tears overwhelmed Travis as he sobbed into the night, the crack in the ceiling reminding him of Sal’s shitty apartment and the quaint, peeling walls. The scent of vanilla candles lingered in his nostrils as he remembered making love to the blue haired, blue-eyed beauty’s tattered mattress as Sal brushed a strand of hair behind Travis’ ear while kissing him.

Travis wanted nothing more than to scream at his boyfriend. But he also wanted to hold him and sob into his shoulder as his breaking heart tried to mend itself. It was tough, Travis was so hopelessly in love with his boyfriend, but he was right about the fact that falling in love with Sal would only get him hurt.


	20. Pumpkin Reprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote a song based on this fic, go check it out!  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_ZNmSDvzmY

Travis’ father called him to let him know that he wouldn’t be home for the next few days, apparently, there was an incident at the church that had to be taken care of. 

That night Travis fell asleep on the carpet, drifting off as he listened to his “Angst” playlist on repeat. He remembered seeing Sal’s face, unmasked as he was taken away. He looked like himself, but something was off. He didn’t speak, but his words from the day prior rang in his head as Travis realized that Sal didn’t even sound like himself when he spoke. It made Travis nervous. 

Travis made his way over to the remote that he left on the couch and turned the TV back on to see if there were any reports on the case. Travis looked over to the analog clock on the TV stand and noticed that it was 5:43. He had slept for almost 24 hours straight.

To Travis’ dismay, there was an update on the news about Megan’s murder. Sal had escaped from his holding cell. Alledgedly, Sal knocked one of the guards out as they were going to let him use the restroom. Travis was suspicious, thinking to himself that there was no way that Sal would have been able to escape that easily. Still, he somehow managed to do it and was now on the loose.

Travis made his way to the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before plopping himself back down on the couch to watch the news. Deciding he was tired of hearing the reporter’s insufferable voice, he turned the television off and opened his buzzing phone. 

Checking his Instagram that was blowing up with notifications, there were many posts about Megan and Sal. Some memorial posts, some posts updating what the poster had seen on the news, some saying that they weren’t surprised that Sal had turned out to be a murderer. No one was talking about the party anymore, everyone in their small high school was focused on the killing which enraged Travis. His dms were cluttered with messages, but Travis decided to ignore them. Sighing as he checked his twitter, the posts were basically the same thing but without photos. 

Travis had no idea how he’d live without Sal, but he decided he would try to stay strong for the shorter male. He couldn’t feel anything but  pure, unadulterated despair. He wished that a black cloud would sweep him up and carry him away from the small suburb in which he grew up in. He wished to never return. 

Some people said that it was always darkest before the sun rises, but Travis was sure that all of those people were wrong. Travis was drowning. There was no sign of land. And Sal was going down with him, his lungs filling up with blood as the weight from the water crushed his insides. Not many people knew that when you drowned in salt water, you didn’t die from the actual suffocation. That would take too long. Instead, the salt particles would scrape the flesh inside of your lungs, causing you to die of internal bleeding while the water weighs you down to the bottom of the ocean. Then as your body starts to rot, the gasses from the rotting corpse would cause the body to begin floating upwards. Finally, the waterlogged flesh would decay into the water to eventually be eaten by any of the sea creatures that were to stumble upon your dead body.

Travis ate his d inner alone while sitting in front of the television screen, sobbing into his cereal as he took in the information from his local news network. His hands began to shake, spilling cheerios and milk all over his lap. 

Travis needed a drink to calm himself down.

Alcoholism ran in the family, and Travis hadn’t drank in a long time, but he needed the white wine that traveled down his throat. As soon as the liquor kicked into his bloodstream Travis stopped crying, stopped shaking. He stared blankly at the colorful screen before him as the voices of investigators and interviewers clouded his mind. Apparently, Megan’s body had been mangled worse than the police officer had described. Her organs were spread out beside her as she laid in a circle of her own blood. Her toenails were pulled out of their nail beds and set aside. 

According to a forensic scientist, Sal must have had a pretty good knowledge of how the human body worked because even though her body was roughly torn open, her uterus, liver, stomach, and bladder were carefully cut and left in pristine condition. This shook Travis to the core, He and Sal had been taking AP bio-med since they were both freshmen, and Sal had the highest average out of everyone in that class. Every single piece of evidence against Travis’ boyfriend was even more damning than the previous. There were no other suspects, Sal was the only one and it seemed as if he really committed the crime.

Sal’s voice was an echo in Travis’ mind, rendering him helpless to the betrayal he felt. The boy he had fallen for over and over again proved to be a vicious killer, using his knowledge to kill an innocent girl. Not only did Sal kill Megan, but he also mutilated her carcass. And as the police officer on the news said, the way he killed her was very cultish.

Travis jumped as a frantic knock on the door snapped him out of his thinking. He wiped his eyes and made his way over to his front door, passing the Virgin Mary statue on the way.

Travis swung the door open only to see Sal, panic in his eyes as they both just stood there, neither knew how to proceed.

Sal seemed so out of place on that fine mid-April evening, the sky burning with pinks and oranges, cherry blossom petals dancing with the wind as Sal’s messy blue hair and wild eyes broke the peacefulness of the scene.

“You must be mad, coming here like this.” Sal stood there surrounded by an aura of brokenness. Silent. Staring at Travis through his prosthetic with puffy eyes. Travis was shaking, laughing like a mad man. He grabbed his lover by the collar, shook him and held him four inches from his face. “There’s something about this situation that makes me want to set a village on fire!” Travis shouted so loud. Loud enough to knock the lamps and dressers to the ground. Travis was acting more and more like his father every single day. 

“You see, things, between you and I, are going to change!” Travis was sobbing now, his knuckles turning white from his hands clenching, nails digging into bleeding palms. 

Sal’s eyes began to tear up, welling like dams on the verge of bursting. It took Sal by surprise, the hatred in Travis’ eyes was as hot as fiery coals. The accusations of Sal being a murderer had pushed Travis over the edge, but he lacked the words to properly and calmly explain how he was feeling.

“If you are- are a killer, I don't know what I’ll do with myself.” In his state of anger, Travis didn’t stop. He just continued to bombard Sal with his verbal assaults. “I’m sorry I’m too emotional but this trial is not only going to ruin my life as I know it, but yours!” Something between a sneer and a smirk made its way onto Travis’ lips.

“How romantic this is, don't you agree pumpkin?”


	21. Too Many Reckless Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait. ive lowkey lost motivation for writing

Sal just stood there, a sobbing stare. His eyes were wide. He hadn't seen Travis act out like this since freshman year. And he definitely had never seen Travis reach his wit's end. There was a wave of wild anger in Travis’ eyes, but behind the rage, there was a subtle hint of fear. Travis was terrified. 

He was terrified of losing Sal, terrified of the fact that he fell for a murderer, terrified of what this would mean for their future. Desperation can make people act out of the ordinary. Desperation made Travis snap at the person he cared about the most. Desperation took the voice from Sal, rendering him mute. Weary eyes met, and as Travis was done breaking Sal with his words, he began to weep. 

Sal took his boyfriend into his arms. The whole situation was so horrible, it couldn't have been real, it had to have been a dream, but it wasn't a dream. It was a reality. Their hearts were held together by thread and bandaids. There was no more sweet honey upon their lips, only the bitter after taste of Travis’ speech. Their love was intoxicating because of how quickly it happened. After getting high on the passion, there was a crash. After every party, there was a headache. After every drunken night, there was a hangover. The two boys were hung over in a city made of dust. And their minds would run in circles as they fell apart

The cold fire feeling ate away at Travis’ stomach. He could hear the skyline breathing as it cast the two boys’ shadows on the walls of the house. The fire was screaming inside of Travis, aching to be let out, but Travis knew that there was no use in screaming any longer. The pair just stayed there, bathing in each other's presence, drowning in their collective tears. The bad suns burnt holes in the back of their minds, however, the two boys tried their best to ignore the voices in their heads for just a moment.

“Travis, we can’t just stay out here. Someone might see me.”

Sal looked up at the taller male with wide eyes, baby blues burning holes in Travis’ aching heart.

Travis nodded and brought Sal inside, closing the door without a word.

The only sound in the air was the faint whistle of a train in the distance. Almost instantly, Travis’ eyes went wide, a wry smile on his lips. He got down on both knees and took Sal by the hands, both boys were still crying but this gesture made the eyes behind Sal’s prosthetic go wide with surprise

“Sal, I love you.” Sal wiped away one of his tears, still holding onto Travis with his free hand.

“Let’s run away together.”

“W-what?” Sal’s voice cracked. He was so taken aback by Travis’ proposal that he totally forgot how to breathe. “Where would we even go?”

Travis got up, he spun Sal around while still holding his hands.

“Who knows what tomorrow will bring!” Travis was smiling wide, even while tears streamed down his face he looked so happy. Both boys were out of their minds. “We’ll figure it out when we get there!”

 

Locks of blue hair lay on the porcelain sink as Sal worked brown hair dye. Travis had bought it at the supermarket to change Sal’s appearance, making it harder for people to recognize him as the criminal they saw on the news. His hair was now styled into a short bob with straight bangs and an undercut. Travis’ hair had gone through a transformation as well. He now had his hair cropped short, buzzed an inch away from his scalp. 

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Sal was already beginning to miss his long hair, unsure of Travis’ spontaneous plan. 

In reality, there was no plan. Just Travis making things up as he went along. He knew that they needed disguises, and hair was the best way to start. Travis was now terrified, knowing that their escape was dependent on his quick thinking. 

Travis nodded, picking up locks of hair and putting it in a paper bag. He had to collect every last strand to make sure no DNA was left behind.

Sal stuck his head underneath the faucet and turned the water on after letting the dye sit for 15 minutes like the instructions on the box said. Travis turned on the water and helped Sal wash out the excess dye, massaging his scalp and making Sal smile. Travis’ fingers could work wonders.

Back when Travis’ mother was still around, they would have little spa days. Travis’ would fill two buckets with warm water while his mom bought cucumbers and face masks from the grocery store. The two would sit in the backyard, lay back and relax while they tanned, the sun warming their skin. 

Travis and his mother would take turns giving each other massages and washing each other. Because of this, Travis knew how to work his hands in a way that could make anyone relax. And it definitely helped to ease Sal’s mind.

After the remains of the dye had been washed from Sal’s hair, the new brunette took a hand towel and dried off his hair. Because of the new length, Sal’s head felt much lighter without the extra eight inches of hair he had cut off. Not only that, but his hair began to curl. Loose brown coils, like tight waves formed in his hair, however, his bangs were too short to curl, soft strands resting on his forehead. Travis found Sal’s new hair cut to be adorable, though he missed the electric blue. He missed the long locks that he could run his fingers through. He missed the fact that Sal would no longer be able to wear his signature pigtails. He missed the color that was rare to see anywhere else.

 

Travis tossed the brown paper bag full of Sal’s hair into the fireplace. Almost instantly the bag burst into flames, withering as it turned to charcoal and embers. The two boys watched the bag burn just as their stomachs were burning with anxiety, neither knowing how they would survive on their own. 

Travis and Sal sat in front of the fireplace, silent as the warmth from the flames lapped at their skin. Travis wrapped an arm around his boyfriend, pulling the smaller male closer as Sal nuzzled against Travis.   
“Trav, I’m scared.” Sal looked up with his baby blues, eyebrows creased as he fidgeted with the prosthetic in his hands.

“Me too.”

They stayed in each other until the flames began to die down. Travis tossed a cup of water on the remaining flames, putting the fire out completely. Sal stood up and placed his prosthetic on his face, but Travis placed his hands on Sal’s taking off the prosthetic and pecking Sal on what was left of his nose.

“I’ll give you a scarf to wrap around your head. You’ll be recognized with the mask.”

Sal nodded, not saying a word as he followed Travis upstairs to his room. When they got up there Travis immediately began to pull things from his closet that the pair would need for their journey. Two t-shirts, one pair of jeans, one tiny pair of sweatpants, one sheer, lightweight scarf, two pairs of shorts, six pairs of socks, six pairs of underwear. Laundry littered the floor as Travis picked out the clothes they would need. Sal watched as his boyfriend ran around, his feet squishing the cream colored rug beneath him. A wallet, a multi-tool, two pencils, one notebook, a guitar, a guitar case, his passport, his phone, a blanket, an mp3 player, a charger, a six-foot rope. A pile of survival essentials and activities to keep the two boys sane on their lonesome adventure.

Finally, Travis placed all of the items into a backpack and swung it over his shoulder, handing his guitar to Sal.

“You ready dude?” Sal’s voice betrayed the nervousness that was welling up in his chest, adrenaline and fear racing through his veins and striking his core like a hammer strikes a nail.

Travis nodded, intertwining his fingers with Sal’s and giving a reassuring squeeze. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

The direness of the situation, the quickness in which it happened, all of it was so overwhelming for the two teenagers. They had no idea where to go, but all they knew was that they had to run. Run far away from their little town. To get out of New York, possibly get out of the country. The boys discussed it and decided to escape to Canada, for it was an extremely easy country to get into.

With that, the two boys got into Travis’ beat up Subaru and began their 9-hour road trip to the Canadian border. Their conversation was laconic, too anxious to speak about anything. Travis just wanted someone to bury him in the ground until it all was over.  Craving a desperate execution.  But he knew that once he helped Sal escape, there would be no turning back.

Travis turned to look at his boyfriend who had tucked a strand of brown hair behind his ear. Looking at Sal made him smile. Looking at Sal brought him back to a simpler time. Back when all they had to worry about was Legally Blonde and getting caught making out backstage. But it was all over now. What happened in the closet stayed in the closet. What happened in the closet died in the closet.

A cold fire feeling was welling up in Sal’s chest as he turned his head to look at the navy blue sea, stars looking so small from far away. The skylines were breathing, the trees were dancing, the wind was singing, but Sal and Travis were still and silent.

The story of the two boys is not about the end results. It’s about the choices along the way.


	22. Habitat

Travis awoke to Sal shaking him, a ringing in his ears and a pain in his side. He tried to rub his eye, but his right arm was too numb to move, he couldn't feel his fingers. As the ringing subsided, he looked around. Travis’ car was flipped over on the side of the road. The airbags in the vehicle had saved him and Sal from getting to hurt, even though there was a small cut in Travis’ side. 

The two boys were on the side of a dirt road, surrounded by pine. The late morning sun shone as the soft hum of cicadas rang through Travis’ ears. The last thing Travis remembered was a deer jumping in front of his car and him swerving to avoid it.

“Travis, Travis can you hear me? Are you alright?” Sal reached to cup the side of Travis’ face as the blonde nodded.

“We won’t be able to get to Canada. I think we should set up camp here.”

“Do you know where we are?” Travis’ voice wavered, he reached up to his side, applying pressure to his wound, hissing as he touched the gash that was right below his left rib. 

“We’re about 7 hours north. I don’t know exactly where we are, but we are in the middle of nowhere. This should be a good place to hide.”

The two boys carefully climbed out of the shattered windshield, making sure not to cut themselves on any glass. Sal grabbed some shards and metal sheets from the side of the car as resources as the blonde grabbed their luggage from the trunk, struggling a bit but he finally got it open. He also snatched the spare tire and the tools from the back as extra material to build a shelter.

Travis took out the multitool from his backpack and began to cut some of the fabric from the seats, figuring it would help him and Sal with their camp. In the meantime, Sal managed to tear off a large sheet of metal from the car door. It would be perfect for their shelter.

The two boys made their way into the woods, Travis carrying the bags, tire, and smaller sheets of metal while Sal kept the glass shards in the pocket of his jeans while he dragged the giant scrap from the car door behind him. After two hours of walking, the sun was right above the two boys. Their arms were tired and their feet were blistering. However, they pushed through the pain until they found the perfect place to stay. 

In the middle of acres of pine was a valley a stream in the center. The stream that eventually turned to a tiny waterfall that snaked through a steep hill of boulders and sandstone, pooling at the bottom to reveal a quaint pond, about the size of three large classrooms combined with water as clear as polished diamonds. Stones with flecks of mica lined the pond, creating a seemingly magical shimmer. In unison, the two boys looked at each other and began to laugh with relief. They ran down the hill and put their stuff down right next to the pool of water. 

 

As the golden sunset, Travis finished up with the inside of the shelter. It was a large fort, sharpened baby trees were formed into a long triangular prism, all tied together with rope and strips of rubber from the tire. The walls were padded with an inner layer of pine needles for insulation and tree bark on the outer layer to keep out the wind. Long grass was weaved to make strips that could act as a waterproof blanket to be put over holes in the fort walls. The remainder of the tire was used to make pillows and fabric from the car seats lined the floor like makeshift bedding. 

Travis exited the fort only to see Sal leaned up against a tree with his green, patchwork scarf in hand.

“You feeling alright?” Travis walked over to wrap an arm around Sal’s shoulder, pulling him close. Sal nodded, staying silent and staring up at his lover, a slight smile pressed into his scarred lips. 

The pair stayed like that for a while, taking in all of the sounds of the forest. All of the songs of the cricket choir made their new habitat seem more mystical than it actually was. Vines climbed up the trunks of trees, hanging off their limbs like ribbons would hang off a ceiling for a birthday party. The fireflies danced like fairies, lighting up the atmosphere with their fluorescent light. And the two boys seemed to be glowing as well due to the moon's illumination.

The wind was humming, causing the branches to sway, pine needles dancing as they fell to the ground. Cortinarius iode mushrooms grew near damp, rotting logs. Their heads looked like galaxies, the purple color with the white flecks made them look like masterpieces, made them look like they had been spawned from a fantasy realm. Tiny orange salamanders scurried along the forest floor, burrowing in the foliage and residing in piles of old, fallen tree bark. 

The beauty of the woods was nowhere near limited and Travis had a newfound appreciation for nature. He had no idea how breathtaking it could be. The majority of the kids that went to Nockfell high school had never been hiking, too preoccupied in their phones to go outside and become one with the trees and the trails. As Sal breathed in the fresh, crisp air of the forest atmosphere, he regretted the fact that he hadn’t bothered to indulge himself with nature more often.

A mischievous glimmer shone in Sal’s eyes. He smirked right before he intertwined his hand with his boyfriend’s and began to sprint towards the small body of water, dragging Travis along for the ride. Sal jumped into the water, Travis yelped right before his feet touched the surface of the pond.

Surprisingly, the water wasn’t cold. It had been warmed by the sun throughout the day and retained the solar heat at night. As Travis opened his hazel eyes underneath the water, he noticed that Sal’s hair floating around him, brown strands creating a halo that circled his head. Sal slowly opened his eyes as well, and as the two boys looked at each other, Sal swam to Travis, cupping his cheeks in his hands and pulling the blonde close to him and pressing their lips together.

Travis’ hands made their way up to Sal’s hair, fingers tangling in the cropped locks and closing the distance between them. As they kissed, tiny silver fish swam around them and a large turtle scurried out of their way so it would not be stepped on. Sal instinctively opened his mouth for the kiss, however just ended up choking on water. He shot up to the surface and began to cough and sputter, paddling towards rocks that lined the outside of the pool. Travis followed, concerned for the smaller male. As Travis pulled himself onto the sandstone next to Sal, he patted him on the back, trying to help get the water out of his boyfriend’s windpipe. 

After Sal was done choking, he began to hysterically laugh. Travis was a little confused, but Sal’s laugh was contagious and Travis couldn't help but giggle with the smaller male. 

“Dude, this is insane! This whole situation is insane!”

Sal brought one of his hands up to his fake eye, adjusting it slightly and with the other, he combed his hands through his hair to get it out of his face.

“I mean like, we’re in the woods, your car crashed, I get framed for murder? What is this? A shitty movie or something?”

Travis’ eyebrows furrowed as he cocked his head to the right.

“Sal, what do you mean you were framed?”

Sal stared up at Travis, confusion in his eyes.

“Come on, you can’t seriously believe I did it.”

The brunette laughed but looked hurt.

“Sal, I love you but..” Travis trailed off. Of course, he loved Sal. Of course, he wanted to believe that his boyfriend wouldn’t lie to him, but Sal had so much evidence against him, even a criminal mastermind wouldn’t be able to frame Sal like he said he had been. There was no way for anyone else besides Travis’ small English class that knew Sal’s obsession with Romeo and Juliet. There was no one else who would know that he took AP bio-med. All of the trails lead to Sal.

“But how do you explain everything? And who would frame you? And why?” Travis nervously laughed but scooted closer to Sal, letting the shorter male rest his head on his shoulder. 

“I'm so shocked about the situation that I’m not even upset anymore. It’s not okay if you did it, but I still love you and I still want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“To start off, there are certain things I can’t explain. Or if I try to, you won't believe me.”

Sal swallowed hard, adjusting the hem of his soaking shirt.

“Just try.”


	23. La Vita è Bella

“I told you that you’d never believe me.”

Travis shook his head, a hand gripping his thigh, nails digging into flesh.

“Sal, you don't have to make up a story to try to prove that you didn’t do it.”

Sal looked down ashamed, opening his mouth to say something but no words came out.

“Prophecies? Cults? Demons? Megan’s ghost? God damn aliens? A cult member who also works for the police breaking you out of jail? Only to have the police to try and chase you down again? Look sweetheart, I forgive you for the murder. I won’t turn you in.”

Sal’s eyes teared up, he almost looked offended.

“Look, pumpkin. I know it’s outrageous, but It’s the truth.”

Tiny fish swam around the boys’ feet, claiming them as part of the pond. Sal swung his legs, causing tiny waves to ripple on the pond’s surface. Travis anxiously rolled a tiny pebble between his thumb and middle finger. He was unable to even look in Sal’s direction.

After what seemed like years of sour company, Sal stood up.

“I’m gonna go head back to the shelter. I’m sorry.”

Travis just nodded and let the shorter male make his way up the hill to the fort that they had made. As soon as Sal had disappeared into the trees, the blonde took the stone in his hand and chucked it into the water, startling the fish and causing them to swim away. 

Before he knew it, Travis had tears rolling down his cheeks. He was sobbing. He was so confused about this whole situation. It was unlike Sal to lie, but there was something Sal was clearly keeping from him. Travis had a feeling in his gut that there was something about Sal’s story that was off. And that feeling made him believe that Sal was a liar.

Tears streamed down Travis’ face and dripped off of his chin, returning to their native spring. With each teardrop, there was a ripple in the water, and with every sob, Travis got louder until he screamed into the night. He began to scratch at his legs. Even though he was wearing jeans, his nails still chafed him raw until there were bright red rashes underneath the fabric. Travis reached up to put pressure on his side, the gash had stopped bleeding but it still was painful. 

Travis was alone in the darkness. 

Alone with the silver fish and alone with the turtle at the bottom of the pond. Alone with the fireflies and alone with the trees. Alone with the waterfall and alone with the stones. Alone with the stars and alone with the moon. The permanent bloodstain lingered in Travis’ sweater. In an odd way, it reminded him of Sal. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but it did.

As his tears came to a halt, Sal made his way back down the hill and sat down next to his lover.

They sat, silent in the darkness. 

Silent with the silver fish and silent with the turtle at the bottom of the pond. Silent with the fireflies and silent with the trees. Silent with the waterfall and silent with the stones. Silent with the stars and silent with the moon.

“Trav, I’m sorry.” Sal apologized once more, resting his hand on Travis’.

Travis gave a half-hearted smile in response, wiping his face with his damp sweater sleeve. Sal reached over to the blonde’s hair, ruffling the soft peach fuzz on his freshly shaved head, making Travis practically purr.

A smirk made its way onto Sal’s face, the edges of his lips curling.

“I know this may not be the right time, but would you care for a distraction?”

Travis immediately recognized the mischief in Sal’s voice. Even though he had been crying a few moments prior, the pure seduction that came out of Sal’s mouth made it too hard to resist. The taller male nodded and sharply inhaled as Sal slipped himself out of his shirt, arms crossing as he did so. 

The pale boy’s translucent skin almost glowed in the moonlight, a happy trail leading from his lower stomach to the button of his soaking jeans. Sal’s chuckled as Travis’ mouth hung open. Sure, the taller male had seen Sal’s body on numerous occasions, however with the moon illuminating his body, making him look like a fluorescent adolescent. Sal looked like an otherworldly being in the mystifying lighting. 

Sal wriggled himself out of the rest of his clothing, leaving his shirt, jeans, underwear, socks, and shoes in a soaking pile right next to where he stood. Then without warning, Sal jumped into the pond, a large wave of water splashed Travis’ face. He laughed, wiping his eyes with his damp sleeve and looking down at his boyfriend who was floating on his back in the water. 

“Well?” Sal went under water and swam over to Travis, popping his head up from the water and leaning on the stone ledge with his elbows. 

“Are you gonna join me?”

Travis fumbled to strip himself of his clothing, adding his garments to the pile and slowly easing himself into the water. 

As soon as he was fully submerged, Sal swam up to the blonde, squeezing Travis’ ass underneath the water, making the taller boy yelp and slip under the water accidentally. This made Sal laugh. And as Travis resurfaced with something between a joking scowl and a dorky smile, Sal teasingly swam away. The brunette beckoned Travis with one hand, winking as he did so. Travis dove underneath the water, practically charging at his boyfriend. However Sal was fast, swiftly moving out of the way so he wouldn’t be tackled by the taller male.

The two boy’s trauma bonding was put aside as they played in the water. They had changed the shape of each other’s dreams. It was almost as if they were regular teenagers on a regular date. Not a fugitive and a boy with a getaway car on the run from authorities. Still, as Sal jumped on top of Travis, pushing him underneath the water, everything felt right. The two boys had buried everything in the dirt, hiding it from seeing the daylight. Out of sight out of mind. They pulled each other from the earth, helping to distract each other from their issues. It did not matter where they came from, because as Sal put his lips on Travis’, wrapping his hands around his boyfriend’s bare waist, everything felt right. They were loving like any other couple, despite the unhealthy mutual obsession and the constant risk of being thrown in prison. In some sad way, everyone around them knew how their relationship would play out. But in the moment, none of that mattered. Because in the moment life was beautiful. Playing in the water was beautiful. Holding each other and being one with nature was beautiful. Travis would not ask any more questions about Sal’s conviction, nor would Sal try to prove himself as innocent. They just stood there, in the pond, kissing as real people do.


	24. Shattered

Push came to shove, and before anyone knew it, Travis was pinned against the rock edge that lined the pool. Sal instinctively brought his hand up to Travis’ head, but there was no hair to pull. So sal just gripped onto the back of his boyfriend's neck, sinking his nails into the soft skin. 

Travis moaned into Sal’s lips as he ground his dick into the thigh that was holding him up. Sal’s hips bucked against Travis’ making the blonde’s knees shakier than they already were. Travis’ arms wrapped around Sal’s waist like vines, pulling him closer and adding more friction to his groin. 

Hazel eyes fluttered shut as Sal bit Travis’ lower lip, breathing him in and trailing his hand down the blonde’s stomach, his fingers gently grazing the taller man’s hip bones right before a hand wrapped around Travis’ length. The taller male gasped as Sal began to jerk him off, underwater fingers working wonders. 

Just as Sal’s forefinger grazed Travis’ cock, he pulled away, a teasing smirk lingering on his lips as Travis whined. Without a word, Sal climbed out of the water, jerking his head to signal for the blonde to follow him. Travis scurried out of the pool, practically running up the hill to follow Sal, totally forgetting about the soaked pile of clothes on the side of the pond. 

Just as Travis made his way up the grassy hill to the large collection of trees, Sal instantly tackled Travis and pinning him to the ground. The sweetest submission, Sal was drinking it in as Travis’ entire body yearned to be touched.

Sal bared his teeth, ferocity in his eyes as Travis trembled beneath him. The two boys were no longer human, rather animals. Predator and prey doing a dance of pure instinct. Sal was no longer looking for absolution. He had found himself an old solution. This was Travis’ body. This was Travis’ love. As Sal watched his boyfriend, his stomach burnt with starvation,  his appetite overwhelming him. Travis was his escape and the smaller man would never be able to get enough. Never be able to quench his thirst.

The pair under the moonlight felt the stirrings of revolutionary ador. Sal’s zeal for Travis would be the death of them both.

“Travis, I don’t have any protection. Are you sure you still want to do this?”

Travis nodded eagerly as a shaky breath escaped his lungs. Sal pecked Travis on the nose right before he quickly made his way to the fort.

Travis just laid there with a painfully hard boner, on his back awkwardly as  every part the shorter male had touched left him victim to the cool air. After a few seconds of sitting underneath the canopy of trees, Travis noticed a dandelion to the left of him and he had a fantastic idea.

 

When Sal returned with a bottle of face cream in his hand, he saw Travis. 

His boyfriend was lying, stark naked, on his side, dandelion in mouth. Sal doubled over, dropping the bottle of makeshift lube as he burst out laughing. 

“‘Hey hot stuff, see something you like?’”

A blush spread across Travis’ chest as he giggled along with Sal, quoting an animation the pair had watched in their visual arts class.

“Oh my god, your such a dork.” Sal placed the bottle down next to his boyfriend as he crawled on top of him, kissing his boyfriend as he couldn't help from smiling. 

“You’re a hot dork though.”

Travis blushed as he placed his hands on Sal’s cheeks, staring into his baby blues.

“Am I the hottest dork?”

Sal nodded.

“One dork to rule them all, one dork to find them, one dork to bring them all. And in the darkness bind them.”

It was now Travis’ turn to explode with laughter.

“Who’s the dork now?”

“Us.”

Travis nodded and giggled, bringing Sal’s face down, resting his forehead against the smaller male’s. Sal took the hand that wasn’t holding him above Travis and put it on his chin, tilting the blonde’s chin up and placing a kiss on his lips. If Sal still had the ability to blush, his face would be a deep pink. He felt the heat in his cheeks from how this situation was playing out. Sal smiled into the kiss as Travis trailed his hands down Sal’s chest and set them on his waist, pulling the smaller male closer to him. 

The kiss gradually became rougher, Travis gasped as Sal slipped his tongue into his mouth, Teeth clashing as Sal pushed against Travis’ body with a free hand. Travis whined as Sal’s bare member rubbed against his. The friction had Travis begging for more, his lip quivering as pleads escaped his throat. 

Sal trailed his free hand from Travis’ chest to his ass, fingers whispering against his stomach along the way. The taller man yelped when he felt a finger trace over his rim, his eyes skewing shut as Sal chucked. Travis underneath him was a sight to behold. 

Without warning, Sal shoved his middle finger inside of Travis, earning a sob from the blonde. Travis’ jerked his head back as Sal moved his finger in and out of his hole. 

A second finger was inserted and Travis was almost in tears. His eyes quickly opened and then fluttered shut as the shorter male scissored his fingers inside of Travis. 

Just as Travis wrapped his legs around Sal, the brunette pushed them off, getting off of him and leaving Travis touch starved. He then Sat next to the boy and grabbed his face cream, pouring some onto his fingers.

“Get on my lap.”

Travis swallowed and nodded at the command, crawling towards Sal and carefully sitting on his lap. Sal’s dick was pushed against Travis’. With a grunt, Sal began to grind on the taller male. The stimulation overwhelmed Travis as his cock began to leak. Sal’s was throbbing, the blood rushing to his erection made it swell as he continued to rub himself against his boyfriend.

Sal wrapped a lubed hand around their cocks, stroking up and down and pressing them closer. Both Sal and Travis were shaking, the taller male bucked his hips up as Sal teased the head of Travis’ dick with his thumb.

“Aah, fuck.. Sal, oh my g-” Travis’ breath hitched when Sal gently squeezed the base of his cock, making the blonde feel as though he was going to burst right then and there. Travis’ pretty little gasps as he writhed around in Sal’s lap had the smaller male growing more and more impatient. However, he would restrain himself just a little longer if it meant that Travis would be driven mad by the foreplay.

No one who Sal had ever had sex with could ever be as vocal as Travis was. With a subtle flick of the wrist, Travis was screaming his lover’s name. His body was whispering subtle propositions that the brunette just couldn’t ignore. No one could possibly know how Sal changed when the sun goes down, going from a mysterious and silent man who typically kept to himself, to a creature of the night who could viciously tear anyone apart with a simple kiss.

“Sal, please...” Travis doubled over, his face buried in the crook of Sal’s neck.

“I need you inside of me.”

His last sentence was less of a beg and more of a command. Despite his submissive nature, Travis had something about him that made Sal want to serve him. Make him feel the best that he possibly could. Sal wanted Travis to enjoy their endeavors as much as he enjoyed them.

Travis squatted above Sal’s dick, hovering right above the tip, waiting for Sal to tell him it was okay to sit on his cock. Sal took the remainder of the makeshift lube on his hand and hastily smeared it around Travis’ hole, causing the taller male to shudder.

“Okay, are you ready Trav?” 

Travis nodded, placing both of his hands on Sal’s shoulders to steady himself for what was about to come next. Sal softly smiled at the blonde, pecking one of the hands that was on his shoulders affectionately.

The taller man blushed as he lowered himself into his boyfriend’s lap. And as the tip of Sal’s cock was against the rim of his ass, Travis dug his fingernails into the brunette’s shoulder blades.

Travis intended on taking Sal slowly, but Sal had other things in mind. You could see it in those crystal clear eyes of his. Sal had a nasty plan. Placing his hands on Travis’ waist, Sal roughly yanked the taller male down, making the blonde scream into the darkness. Travis’ eyes were rolling back into his head, tearing up as his tongue lolled out of his mouth ever so slightly. 

The corners of his lips lifted into a smile as Travis began to bounce on Sal’s dick. With every slap of skin against skin, Travis’ cock began to grow harder and harder. He felt pure ecstasy welling up in his chest, and his stomach felt as if it was being tossed around. With every up and down movement, Travis was on a brand new roller coaster of delight.

The two boys were scantily clad beneath the clear night sky, their gasps and shrieks blending into the sounds of the forest. As they made love they were one with nature. 

The brunette brought a shaky hand up to one of Travis’ puckered nipples, giving it a good twist with his thumb and his forefinger. Sal never understood the appeal of nipple play, not finding his own to have much sensation when touched. But he was more than happy to discover that Travis’ chest was very sensitive when rubbed the right way.

Travis’ legs were shaking too much for him to continue to bounce on Sal’s member, so instead, he began to roll his hips against Sal. With every rock of his waist, Travis felt his boyfriend’s cock against his prostate. With every press Travis became a drooling mess, his eyes fluttering as his body moved against Sal’s. 

Sal’s hand accidentally gripped on Travis’ wound, causing the taller male to hiss. Sal instantly returned his hand to his boyfriend’s hips, apologizing with soft kisses to the blonde’s perky nipples. Travis flinched at the sudden sensation but continued to rock against Sal’s dick. 

“Ahhah fuck, Sal I-” 

Travis’ pounding prostate was too much. He was way over stimulated. He couldn’t feel his face. He couldn't feel anything other than the pure pleasure of Sal’s cock being pushed deeper and deeper inside of his ass. 

Sal, on the other hand, couldn’t take it anymore. Sure, watching Travis bouncing up and down on his cock was a sight to behold. But Sal wanted to be in control. All of a sudden the tides turned when Sal grabbed his boyfriend by the shoulders, flipping him and pinning him to the ground. Travis yelped in response, wrapping his legs around Sal’s waist and clenching around the brunette’s dick.

Now that Sal was on top of the quivering boy before him, he roughly grabbed his waist and sporadically began to thrust inside of Travis. Travis was incoherent, grinning like a mad man as his half-lidded eyes filled with tears. His mouth was wide open and a trail of saliva began to dribble down his face. Bliss was nothing compared to this. 

Sal continued to push deeper and deeper inside of the taller male as Travis’ back arched against the grass he was lying on. His touch starved dick was twitching nonstop, precum rolling down his length, letting Sal know what Travis needed.

Sal removed one of his hands from Travis’ waist and wrapped it around the blonde’s cock. His tan skin glistened with sweat as his muscles tensed with each shove of Sal’s dick inside of him. Sal pounded Travis harder than ever before while jerking him off, moving his hand up and down his painfully erect cock. 

Each thrust came quicker than the previous, Sal was losing control of his own body as his thrusts became hasty. Sweat dripped onto Travis as Sal grunted, bearing his teeth and squeezing Travis’ dick, making the blonde scream, his head jerking backwards and his nails raking down Sal’s back.

With a fruitless attempt to stabilize himself, Travis buried his hands in Sal’s hair, tugging at the brown curls as if his life depended on it. Sal moaned as Travis yanked, causing the taller man to pull on the strands more.

Both boys were shaking. Both boys were vocal. Both boys were losing their minds. And just as Sal’s thrusts became less rhythmic, more desperate, Travis came with a shout, tightening his grip on Sal’s hair. Sal pulled out of his boyfriend, still erect. His throbbing cock reflecting the moonlight as Travis started.

Sal started to jerk himself off, but Travis moved his hand away from his dick, shaking his head. The taller male crawled over to Sal, the golden flecks in his eyes glimmering in the night as he looked at his lover with curiosity. Sal was leaking, unable to look Travis in the eyes as desperate and embarrassing whines escaping his lungs. The taller man placed his hands on Sal’s thighs, spreading them apart. Travis then brought his face close to Sal’s aching cock. Sal could feel the warmth of Travis’ breath against his member and his head ticked to the side. He was shaking uncontrollably. The fact that the taller male was dragging this out as long as possible was driving him crazy.

Travis started out by experimentally placing kitten licks up and down the shaft. The brunette yelped and gripped the ground, pulling out tufts of grass and embedding dirt underneath his nails. Travis then took his right hand off of Sal’s thigh and wrapped it around the base of the smaller man’s dick. He then opened his mouth wide and went down on the squeamish male. 

As Travis bobbed his head and down while simultaneously twisting his hand around the base of the smaller boy’s dick, Sal was mewling. He was unable to stop himself from completely submitting to his boyfriend. And as Travis’ tongue grazed over the flushed side of Sal’s cock, the brunette threw his head back.

Sal was trying not to buck his hips up, in fear of choking his boyfriend, but Travis was so irresistible he couldn’t help but grip him by the sides of his head and begin to roughly fuck his face. As Sal thrust into his boyfriend’s throat, Travis’ eyes began to water. 

Travis began to choke on Sal’s cock, but he still moaned into his soft flesh. Sal couldn’t control himself anymore, shudders breaking his spine with every mini earthquake. And as the tectonic plates subsided, Sal came with a shout.

Sal didn’t mean to cum inside of Travis’ throat, but still, the taller male swallowed his entire load. As he pulled away, his mouth dripping, corners of his mouth tilted upwards. 

As Sal was still shaking, Travis lied down next to him, panting. Both boys’ chests were heaving as they bathed in the starlight. Sal wrapped his arms around the blonde and rested his head on his chest, nuzzling into his boyfriend. 

Travis kissed Sal’s head as the smaller male was giddy with post orgasm bliss.

“That was fucking amazing.” 

Sal’s voice was still shaky, and because Travis’ throat still had the remnants of cum, he simply nodded, unable to speak.

After a few minutes of lying in the grass, Sal got up and brushed himself off. Travis whined and sat up, pouting as Sal reached out a hand. 

“We should go wash off in the pond and then head back to the fort. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Travis stuck out his tongue in protest but took Sal’s hand and the pair made their way down to the pool of water at the bottom of the hill. Sal and Travis were too tired to jump in, so the two boys carefully helped one another into the water. 

With the moon’s spotlight, the pair bathed as the water glistened beneath them. Travis gently traced his fingers over Sal’s back as he washed the smaller man. Sal’s hair dripped onto his shoulders, tiny drops rolled down his back and returned to the pool from which they were birthed from. 

Sal turned around and wrapped his arms around the taller male’s neck. Travis blushed as he placed his hands on his boyfriend’s waist. Sal then began to sway back and forth, moving his hips to some imaginary beat. Travis let Sal take the lead with the dance, following in suit as Sal began to hum a familiar tune that Travis just couldn’t put his finger on. 

As the pair softly swayed underneath the stars, Travis finally recognized the song that Sal was humming. “Cristofori's Dream” was beautifully composed. And even though Travis wasn’t fond of classical music, this piece had a way of transporting him far away from his troubles. 

From minor chord to major, the tenor and bass perfectly harmonized as they moved to the music they were making. They were rocking themselves away from an old dream, a distressing memory that seemed so far away, it didn’t even seem like it had really happened.

Travis twirled Sal around as the brunette giggled. The two boys were in heaven. This blissful moment was something to sell. Who knew such blissful moments could lead to hell. 

 

As their song came to an end, the pair stood in the water, just holding each other. Sal’s head laid on Travis’ chest. He listened to his boyfriend’s heartbeat as Travis traced circles onto the smaller male’s back with his fingertips. 

“Hey Trav, do you know the song ‘My Strange Addiction’?”

Travis’ eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Sal nuzzled against his chest.

“No, why?”

Sal pulled away from Travis’ embrace, dramatically gasping.

“I’m offended! Do you not listen to Billie Eilish?”

Travis shook his head and Sal gasped again.

“Okay, I’m totally singing it for you.”

The bass began to sing, his voice perfectly wavering as he accentuated specific notes and lines. As Sal’s voice filled the night, he wrapped his arms around Travis’ waist and roughly pulled him close, taking the blonde by surprise. Sal looked up with deep blue eyes as he tightened his grasp on Travis’ hips, smirking as the taller man blushed. 

“I take what I want when I wanna,”

Sal stood on his toes and leaned into Travis’ ear, his lips grazing his soft lobe. 

“And I want ya.”

Travis’ face flushed a deep red as Sal looked him up and down. The brunette’s deep voice was intoxicating, oh so seductive. Though Travis had just came ten minutes prior, he was already beginning to harden again. Sal instantly noticed this and chuckled, beginning to move his hands to Travis’ ass just to tease him.

“Bad, bad news. One of us is gonna lose. I’m the powder your the fuse,”

Travis swallowed as Sal took one of his hands and trailed it down the taller male’s chest. Sal then began to grind on Travis, making him gasp. 

“Just add some friction.”

And that was exactly what Sal was doing. Travis placed his hovering hands on Sal’s shoulders, trying to steady himself and prevent himself from falling.

Sal’s hips swayed as his vocal cords cast spells into the air. 

“You are my strange addiction.”

Travis cut Sal off before he could even finish the chorus, too impatient to let him continue.

“Sal, are you up for round two?”

The brunette smirked and nodded.

“That was my plan anyway.”


	25. Leave A Message After The Tone

“Ow- Travis you- ah-”

Sal was squirming underneath Travis, his legs wrapped around the taller male as the blonde thrust inside of Sal while placing hickeys along his collarbone.

“Please be more gentle..”

Travis smirked against Sal’s neck, biting down and causing the brunette to hiss.

“You want me to fuck you like you’re a little whore? You want me to go nice and slow?”

Travis slowed down the pace, his cock pressing against Sal’s prostate with a rhythmic tempo, causing the smaller male to shake, head tilting back as his eyes fluttered shut and his mouth lolled open.

“Like this?”

Travis’ voice was low, seductive and soothing. Though this was only his second time topping, he was getting the hang of it. Pleasuring Sal, watching the smaller man shudder and hearing him moan was a gift. Though Travis preferred to bottom, the pretty little noises his boyfriend was making made it all worth it. Sweat glistened on Sal’s chest as he gasped for air. Travis twisted one of the brunette’s nipples between his index finger and his thumb, causing a sob to emerge from Sal’s throat. As the planet turned, the two boys let their bodies collide with one another until there was nothing left. The warm spring air caressed Travis’ shoulders as is free hand moved to Sal’s hardened cock.

As Travis wrapped his fingers around the smaller male’s dick, Sal squirmed. Embarrassed, Sal covered his face with his hands as Travis just laughed, thrusting into his boyfriend in return.

It was rough and steady and Travis was so hard; Sal was whining and gasping like he was dying for it. It felt like so much all at once and Travis couldn’t see straight. His hands moved to grip Sal’s hips, tugging him back as he fucked him forwards, skin slapping together desperately, the sounds of their bodies harmonizing filling the charcoal morning sky.

The brunette’s moans flooded Travis’ mind, repeating like a reoccurring dream. The blonde’s head hung between his shoulders, his hands on Sal’s waist holding him as his body jerked forward with each shove. Travis’ head spun like the earth on it’s axis and his muscles ached.

“Fucking hell,” Sal gasped, his back arching against the dirt, spreading his legs so Travis could go deeper, “That’s so fucking good…”

“Really just gone for it, aren’t you?” Travis asks. “Pathetic for it.”

Sal moans deeper, a hand coming to cover his eyes as his face flushes red and his cock gets harder. Pathetic wasn't a word Sal would enjoy being called in any other circumstance. Embarrassment wasn't an emotion that he would deem anywhere near sexual if it weren’t for the feeling of Travis against him.

But here he is; pathetic, embarrassed, and loving it.

Travis’ hand continued to stroke Sal’s cock, fingers at the tip, spreading the wetness down his length. His limbs were moving on automatic, his head in a world of clouds and ecstasy. No drug could take him on a trip like this

“What a sight. If only you could see yourself now.”

Travis leaned close to Sal’s ear, his words barely a whisper. Sal moaned as the blonde gave the base of his dick a slight squeeze before letting his fingers lightly trail up the flushed underside of the brunette’s cock.

“What a wild little bitch you are.”

Travis’ wicked words sparked something in Sal. He felt fire bloom in his chest, embers blossoming and burning as his heart struggled to keep up with the fast pace of Travis’ shoves. The taller male’s hips were working witchcraft for the writhing man underneath him. Travis felt himself ascend. He felt blessed, and Sal was his peacemaker.

Sal clenched around Travis, making the blonde shriek. Sal tried to chuckle, but in his submissive state, he was unable to. He just smirked up at the blonde.

“I bet I feel great, wrapped around- fuck... Wrapped around your cock like this...”

Sal knew what he was doing. Sal knew how to act like a brat. Sal knew what his boyfriend liked.

Travis nodded, his wrist flicking to send shots of pleasure up the smaller man’s member. Travis was shaking and so was Sal. Both males were wrecks, sweat dripping down their faces as their magnetic bodies pushed and pulled.

The scent of Sal’s skin mixed with the sound of his voice pushed Travis over the edge. He felt his hand being coated by the brunette’s precum, signaling that the smaller man was going to cum soon. Travis was truly enjoying himself as he grabbed Sal’s thighs and spread his legs, pushing them up and giving him better access to the smaller male’s puckered ass. Sal’s fingers dug into Travis’ back, leaving trails of red as his nails created trails in the blonde’s flesh.

It was like Travis was digging for ore, Sal could feel it welling up in his chest. The taller male’s dick was pressing further and further, thrusts becoming desperate. The need for friction was intense.

Travis felt something stir in his chest, the harsh tone like music in his ears as Sal gasped. He brings a mouth down to his boyfriend’s chest. Finally, he reaches a nipple, so hard and flushed as he settles his lips around it and sucks, feeling the hitch of Sal’s body, that pretty gasp as he flicks his tongue.

“Oh fuck,” Sal hisses, somewhere between the desire to push into it and pull away from it. “That feels good.”

Travis doesn’t respond. He moves to the other nipple, teasing it with his tongue before he sucks at it. Sal’s hands settle at the back of his head, holding him in place as he breathes, quick and uneven. Travis drowned in the experience, the way Sal was tight against him, the jumpy little fingers that eventually clutched onto the back of Travis' neck just to focus all that bouncing energy on something.

With a pop, Travis pulls up from Sal’s chest. Sal looked up at Travis through a curtain of eyelashes, his eyelids fluttering as he felt saliva pool in his mouth. Travis had to grip onto the soft underside of Sal’s thighs to steady his thrusts. The two men, stark naked and dripping in sweat and precum, felt the night vanish and saw the soft glow of the fading lullaby and growing dawn. The sun’s glow crept onto the sky’s canvas. Moans and sobs spawned from deep within Sal. There was no time for either boy to focus on their surroundings because Travis crashed his face down into Sal’s, mouth already open, muting the noises coming from the brunette’s lips.

Sal was anticipating the kiss. He let Travis overtake him. His mind. His body. His spirit. His soul.

“Jesus Sal,” Travis pulled away from the kiss, chuckling a bit.“You’re always so horny.”

“Says the one who’s spreading my legs so he can get a better angle to fuck my ass.”

Travis gently nibbled on Sal’s earlobe as the two boys laughed.

“My boyfriend is really hot and it turns me on. Sue me.” Travis murmured his words, letting the syllables caress every inch of Sal’s being.

Sal reached up to pull Travis’ face down once more. His hands, unlike his face that was covered in a surplus of scars, were smooth. And the kiss was gently placed. Though their mouths were open and Travis was still moving in and out of the shorter man, it was sweet. And Travis thought to himself that sex was nice, but making love was so much better.

Travis takes Sal apart with loving words and soft touches. His hand bobbed up and down the shaft of Sal’s length as the brunette leaned into the touch.

“Sal, you’re doing such a good job.”

Sal smiled up at Travis as his shoulders and chest flushed bright red, his pale skin heating up like an iron. Travis was trying to keep it gentle, keep it tender, but it was difficult without much experience with gentle sex. As Travis’ cock worked in and out of the smaller man, Sal let out a borderline scream. He felt his entire body shuddering uncontrollably, unsure if he was trying to move towards or away from the stimulation. Sal felt tears welling in his eyes, his chest heaving and his breath coming out in trembling gasps as he desperately tried to recover. Sal had never been one to get emotional during sex, but he felt like that was all going to change now.

Sal was whimpering, spasming with need as every muscle of his body tensed. Travis watched as Sal was torn apart with every nudge of his prostate. The tip of Sal’s cock was throbbing, but Travis wasn’t ready for Sal to cum, wrapping his hand around the bottom to prevent him from orgasming just yet.

With every thrust came a bounce of Sal’s curls, which was downright adorable to Travis. The ringlets lay around Sal’s head in a halo of soft, chocolatey brown. Sal’s hands began to fiddle with Travis’ blonde, buzzed, peach fuzz as his boyfriend fucked him.

Sal felt so sensitive. He felt everything as if it was magnified.

“Trav- how did I get so lucky to- ah… get me a boyfriend like you?”

Travis couldn’t respond, too close to his own orgasm to even think straight.

“Please,” Sal whines as he grinds on Travis’ cock, they both gasp as Sal whispers the word “please” again.

“Please what, Sal?” Travis teases and Sal shudders with desire like he had been struck by lightning.

“Oh, god. You know what I want you bastard.” Sal groans as he feels Travis’ thrusts become increasingly more uncontrollable.

“Mmmm, I do,” Travis responds, and he finally lets go of Sal’s thighs, placing his hands on either side of his boyfriend’s head to steady himself.

“But I wanna hear you say it.”

“Please Travis, I need to cum…”

Finally, Travis took his hand off of Sal’s dick. A sob of pleasure ripped it's way out of Sal’s chest as he came. His eyes screwed shut as he called out for Travis, groaning his name like a forbidden prayer.

“Relax love, relax. I've got you.”

Travis stroked Sal’s hair as he rode out his orgasm, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks as he tightened his grip on the blonde’s back, leaving scratches on his olive colored flesh.

Travis pulled out of his boyfriend as he came. Sal whimpered at the sudden empty feeling but was still in his post-sex state of euphoria so he had no complaints.

Travis collapsed next to Sal and the two laid there, interlocked loosely, side by side as the sun crept onto the newborn sky. Sal placed his head on Travis’ heaving chest. He listened to the sound of the blonde taking in air and filling his lungs. He studied the rhythm his heart was making, frantic still. He worshiped the soft exhale that had made it's way out of Travis’ lips, calming and soothing, barely audible.

Sal closed his eyes as he felt Travis’ hands make their way to his scalp, fingers combing through the loose coils as the brunette leaned into the touch. Sal felt safe. He prayed to a god that he didn’t believe in to let him and Travis stay unaffected by the unfolded events in their hometown.

But it seemed as if the god that Sal had prayed to hadn't heard his request.


	26. Grow Away From Your Spine

Sunlight seeped through the gaps between twigs and bark and struck Sal, temporarily blinding him. Tiny dust particles seemed to float through the criss-cross pattern of the roof of the shelter as they danced in the sun’s rays.

The brunette scrunched his face and held up a hand to shield his face from the brightness. Sal still wasn’t entirely accustomed to waking in a forest, dirt in his hair, bugs scuttling around him, the scent of lingering dew in the air. He missed the comforts of his stained mattress and the view of his paint-chipped walls. 

Sal woke inside of the shelter to the sound of Travis belting his part in “Take It Like A Man”. The groggy brunette chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. The familiar tune brought him back to a simpler time. A time of rehearsals and dancing.

Sal was sore all over, but he was clean enough for someone who hasn't showered in days. Travis must have tidied him up in the middle of the night before he was carried to their fort. Sal grabbed a clean set of clothes and threw each garment on, slipping on and lacing up his sneakers. While yawning, Sal crawled out of the shelter that he had made with his boyfriend. When he was outside of the fort, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head, his shoulders cracking. 

Travis could have popped a lung, he belted the lyrics as Sal watched. The shorter male burst out laughing and Travis jumped. Startled and embarrassed, he whipped around. That’s when Sal realized how frail Travis had become.

The blonde’s eyes had sunken in from sleep deprivation, dark crescents lined his lower lids and his cheekbones looked more defined. Though he smiled his lips had a greenish tint to them. They were cracked and dry. His face had lost it’s color, reeking or gray. Travis looked thin. His arms were slender and his clothes barely fit his shrunken frame. He and Sal hadn’t eaten for days and it was beginning to show.

Starvation began to settle in. The result of not bathing had ended with Sal’s hair becoming matted and having dirt worked into every crevice of his body. His stomach had begun to shrink in size as hunger had swept him off his feet. Sal’s own eyes felt dry and his sandpaper tongue felt sharp against the insides of his cheeks. There was no saliva in his mouth, only bone dry teeth that ached to be brushed. Sal physically felt weak, with no protein he barely had the energy to stand. It was at this moment that both boys knew that they needed food.

 

Travis looked up from the fire he had brought to life just as Sal made his way towards him. The smaller male made a pouch out of his shirt, holding a myriad of edible plants. As Sal got closer, Travis noticed that he was also holding a sizable turtle in his left hand, dangling by it’s leg. 

Sal Sat down across from Travis as the blonde blew onto the newborn flames, black coals glowing orange as they were fed oxygen. The brunette set the turtle aside and placed the plants on a large, flat rock that Travis had retrieved from the pool of water at the base of the hill. Although it wasn’t much, Travis’ stomach grumbled with anticipation. 

Sal retrieved the multitool and the knife from Travis’ backpack that still remained in the fort. He then sat down and took the dead turtle into his lap. Travis watched with disgust and pity as Sal took one hand to pull the dead creature’s neck out of its shell. With the other, he began to run the blade over the neck of the turtle. Blood began to drip down Sal’s arm as the knife submerged into the rough skin of the animal. Next, Sal removed the turtle’s claws and tail with the multitool, carefully placing them on the side, not wanting to waste anything that could be made into a primitive device later. 

Sal, not really knowing what he was doing, then cut the turtle open from the side, working the blade of Travis’ knife through the body. There was no clean slice, just a mutilated hunk of flesh. With more strength than anticipated, Sal pulled the turtle apart, strings of muscle snapping as the creature was pried apart. 

The sight of Sal removing the internal organs of the animal made Travis want to vomit, but he was too starved to do so. Instead, he just had to remind himself that this was all for survival and that everything eventually comes to an end.

 

The taste of turtle meat and wineberries mixed surprisingly well together. Sal licked the juices of the fruit off of his fingers As Travis chowed down on another slice of turtle meat. 

The turtle’s flavor and unique texture resulted in an interesting meal. Typically, Travis would have savored the beefy flavor of the animal’s skin on his palette, maybe even add some seasoning. But he was too starved to do anything but scarf it down until every last bite was gone. Sal munched on some salad that was composed of dandelions, different types of grasses, lemon clover, steamed acorns, and finally some wild berries to top it all off.

Sal took a swig of water, warmed from being boiled. His delicate fingers wrapped around the neck of the glass bottle that Travis had found in the woods and had taken as a resource. 

Sal passed the bottle to Travis and the blonde downed the rest of the water greedily, wiping his mouth when he was finished. Sal leaned back into the grass and closed his eyes, soaking in the natural light as the sun’s streams directly hit him. Travis lied down next to his boyfriend, resting his head on the smaller male’s chest and tangling his legs with his. Their limbs interlocked loosely as the crisp, late spring air filled their lungs, breathing life into their diaphragms. The hills around them seemed to bend time, hiding them from civilization, leaving them immune, invincible to the outside world. The star that planet earth orbits gave off a glow that bled through the leaves and branches of the trees that covered the two men. Sal kissed Travis’ head as the taller male nuzzled into him. 

When they were in a place like this, a state of mind like this, it was easy to forget what they were running from in the first place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that the pace is gonna pick up. The story is almost over my dudes, and yall are in for a gut-wrenching time


	27. Your Favorite Cheshire Grin

Travis awoke to starry night sky and a terrified Sal shaking him awake. He hadn't even realized he fell asleep until he woke up. He sat up, the cut on his side sore and his head spinning.

“Travis, you didn't bring your phone with you, did you?”

Travis yawned and rubbed his eyes. Sal began to tremble as his voice began to shake. He was trying to speak but the terror that took over him hindered him from doing so.

“Yeah, do you have to check something? Why are you freaking out?”

Travis tried to pull Sal close, but the smaller man just jerked away.

Sal stood up, shaking his head as his fingers twitched. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace and took the glass bottle that had some water still left in it. Sal took a swig as his trembling knees barely held him up.

Finally Sal turned to the sitting Travis, bottle still in hand.

“You realize the cops can track your phone?”

Sal was towering over Travis, his voice was almost a whisper but his words screamed through Travis’ mind. Sal pointed the bottle at Travis like a threatening dagger; his baby blues flooded with an ocean of stress induced tears as his boyfriend stopped breathing.

It was almost as if Travis’ body had shut down, had forgotten how to inhale or had forgotten the definition of an exhale. His lungs began to burn before he gasped, snapping himself out of his dream like trance. Sal’s scarred, yet pretty face was scrunched up as the dams in his eyes broke; an explosive sob escaped his lips as he brought his hands up to his cropped hair, grabbing tufts of brown and yanking on it. Travis’ heart began to skip several beats at once. He tore long strips of flesh from his fingers. The hangnails stung as they were ripped off, yet this was a distraction from the sight in front of him.

All he could see was his boyfriend.

This was the start of the breakdown.

 

Sal and Travis held each other as the sun rose. Both felt empty; husks of their former selves. The two boys sat in crisis, sat in the eve of destruction that could have fallen upon them at any moment. There was no sweet dream that had accompanied their night, only arguing followed by silence that seemed to drown out the fear and the anger, leaving no emotion behind.

Travis’ mind couldn't help but spiral. He needed to think of a way to save Sal. Any second he could be swept up by the police and Travis would be thrown behind bars for helping a runaway criminal hide from authorities. It haden’t even hit him until this very moment that he would be considered an accomplice in the eyes of the law.

All at once, Travis’ thoughts came to a halt and he realized one thing that could have only made sense to a panicked and infatuated man such as himself.

What does it take to have the will to live? It takes love.

What does it take to have the will to die? It takes love.

“Sal, I know what we have to do.”

Sal didn't even turn to face Travis. He just sat there, in the blonde’s arms, staring ahead of himself as he was trying his best not to go insane.

“We have to close the curtains.”

Sal’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked at his boyfriend in confusion.

“What?”

Travis continued, a Cheshire grin plastered onto his face.

“We have to call it a day, turn the lights off, cut the thread, tie the knot, close the book, end the-”

“What the fuck are you on about?”

Travis placed both of his hands on either side of Sal's face. There was nothing left of him except for his eerie smile and his bloodshot eyes. He was feeling impulsive. Feeling reckless. Feeling brave and cowardly at the same time.

“We have to kill ourselves.”

Travis had truly fallen off his rocker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this short ass chapter


	28. Eyes Blue, Like The Atlantic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven’t uploaded in like,, forever. I was at sleep away camp and I’m in school now so I won’t have much time to write. Also, the story is almost over so look forward to the major plot twist at the end.

“No, Sal, think about it!” Travis was holding Sal by the shoulders in a tight grip while the smaller man’s eyes went wide. “If we do this, the pigs can’t pry us apart! We’ll be free and together forever!”

Sal was too stunned to say anything. His mouth was open, jaw quivering, eyebrows furrowing. Travis had gone mad.

Something inside of Sal wanted to protest, run away, ask what Travis’ damage was. But he began to see the validity in the blonde’s plan. Maybe it was the isolation or the starvation that got to him. But whatever it was, Sal wasn’t thinking straight. He would be killed either way, whether he stayed for the cops to find him or took his own life. So why wouldn’t he choose the ending to his own story?

After Sal calmed down, he looked Travis in the eye and smiled sweetly.

“How are we gonna do it?”

 

Travis figured that if there was a god, that god had to have been a female. Why else would she make the world so beautiful? With it’s glorious colors and textures. No man could ever have paid that much attention to detail or noticed the subtle difference of hues between colors. Not even the most creative male artisan would never be able to paint the sky’s the way that this female god could. Not even Gordan Ramsey could conjure up a buffet of fruits that seemed to explode with flavor with a snap of his fingers. Not even the best of fathers would be able to raise billions of creatures with the amount of maternal nurturing that would be needed to do so.

However, if this god existed, she most definitely had favorite children. And Travis figured that him and Sal were not one of them.

There was no guilt in sculpting a plan of suicide. Travis and Sal felt that not only was it a good way to stay together forever, but that it was also a way to spite the woman up above who had decided to neglect two of her children by letting them come to such a treacherous fate.

“Hey Sal, do you believe in an afterlife?”

Sal looked up from scrawling various ideas of self inflicted deaths in a notebook. He shook his head, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes.

“No, I believe once you die, you die. Why? Do you?”

Travis paused only if for a moment.

“I don’t know.”

The pair began to discuss what the afterlife would look like if it did exist. Ideas of pearly gates looking more like picket fences, or three headed hounds guarding said gates seemed to be more interesting than your cliche, bland, paradise sitting on cloud tops.

It was also interesting for Travis to wonder if he would even get into heaven if it did exist.

Travis would consider himself to be a good kid. He got good marks, was well behaved for the most part, tried to do good deeds, etc. However, he had committed sins. Or at least, sins by the catholic church's standards. He was a homosexual, had pre-marital sex, has disobeyed his father, etc.

As Travis continued to ponder the hypocrisies of his religious teachings and the nonsensical lessons of the Bible, he realized that if sinning was a one way ticket to an eternity of tourture and suffering in the inferno down below, that would mean all the good girls and boys would go to hell. Even Jesus would have gone to hell. Because according to the Bible, Jesus said that everyone has sinned at least once in their life.

But at the same time, Travis figured that maybe god was a forgiving god. After all, her son, who was supposed to be the personification of holiness, did get married to a prostitute. Not to say that Travis believed that all prostitutes were evil sinners that deserved to burn, but by the Bible's standards, prostitution is a sin. But the Bible also said that eating shrimp and wearing mixed patterns is a sin. So by the time Travis’ internal philosophic journey was over, he ended up being more confused than he was in the beginning.

“Hey Trav,” Travis snapped out of his religious daydream and looked back at Sal who had the end of a pencil in between his teeth. “You okay dude.”

Travis nodded and looked down at what Sal was writing.

“Yeah, just thinking. You got any good ideas?”

Bullet points were written in graphite across the cream colored lined paper.

 

  * Hanging - noose with rope
  * Cutting - knife
  * Poison - find poison berries
  * Drowning - pond
  * Jumping - find cliff/jump off tall tree
  * Burning - make fire



 

Sal's handwriting was messy, hastily written as if he had so many ideas in his head that his hand couldn't keep up with the endless flow of words that he wanted to put down on paper. He wrote his y’s, j’s, and g’s with little loops where the tails were, and all of his b’s looked like the number six.

Travis knew that it wasn't script, but it was too flowy and loopy to be print either. He stared at the way that Sal’s hand moved, the way the tips of his fingers gently gripped the base of the pencil as the tip pressed against the paper. The way Sal wrote was beautiful.

Everything about him was beautiful. The way his mouth seemed to unhinge when he laughed a little too hard, the way his eyes would flutter shut when he was singing, the way he snored loud enough to keep Travis up all night, the way he drooled when he was deep in sleep, the way he would shove frozen blueberry waffles into his mouth like there was a waffle eating competition.

Travis would miss all the little things.

He would especially miss the way that his boyfriend’s eyes seemed to hold a thousand waterfalls.

Blue eyes are just blue eyes until you love someone with blue eyes.


	29. Glow

The day was done and gone the sun that lit the world so brightly.

A full moon shone high in the sky, like a bowl of milk for a tiny kitten to drink.

Travis and Sal stood at the edge of a cliff, holding hands. 

Neither boy looked at the other. They only stared at the ground, that seemed to be so close, yet so far.

"Are you ready my love?"

Sal asked, giving Travis' hand a slight squeeze.

"Absolutely."

The breeze whispered to them and the scent of pine crawled up their noses and smothered the flame in their lungs. 

"On the count of three."

Sal nodded at Travis and Travis nodded back.

"Three,"

Sal's voice was hoarse.

"Two," 

Travis' voice was calm.

"One."

And with that, they jumped. For a moment, their feet levitated off the ground. 

But then they fell.


End file.
